A Phase I study of an adjuvanted, intranasal recombinant influenza A/H5 vaccine demonstrated broad priming of immune responses across multiple H5 clades, suggesting a mucosal route could provide cross‑protective immunity against avian influenza threats. Investigators reported robust local and systemic responses and highlighted the potential of intranasal priming to improve pandemic preparedness. The work, led by the University of Maryland Center for Vaccine Development and Global Health, showed favorable safety and immunogenicity in healthy volunteers and supports further development of intranasal strategies that aim to elicit mucosal antibodies and cross‑reactive T cell responses. Developers and public health agencies view mucosal priming as a complementary tool to injectable platforms for faster, more broadly protective vaccines against evolving influenza strains.