Universal flu vaccine could soon be a reality

In 2014, the CDC and WHO predicted that H3N2 would be one of the predominant strains for the flu season, and that year’s vaccines were created to protect against it, but H3N2 “ended up not being the dominant strain in the environment”, said Radspinner.

Variation in viruses means that seasonal influenza vaccines need to be continually updated to protect against circulating strains of the infection.

A universal vaccine that offers protection against multiple flu strains could soon be within reach of scientists searching for the “Holy Grail” of immunology. REDEE FLU is a single replication live influenza virus vaccine that can infect cells, express influenza RNA and proteins, but does not produce any new virus.

Scientists who weren’t involved in either study told the Genetic Expert News Source that they were excited by the possibility of these new vaccines but would like to see further research before jumping for joy and declaring the methods a success.

RACHAEL BROWN: Dr Graham’s team attached protein nanoparticles to the haemagglutinin’s stem, to keep it in tact and make it easy for the immune system to spot it, once it was injected.

Two groups of researchers – from the National Instutites of Health, and the Crucell Vaccine Institute are reporting their findings today in the journals Nature Medicine and Science, detailing how they’ve transformed a piece of flu virus protein to protect against a whole slew of flu strains.

This particular strain, from New Caledonia in 1999, was part of a vaccine years ago, but it doesn’t neutralise viruses that follow it, nor ones in different sub-type, like the H5 virus, avian flu. However, while clinical trials on humans are still needed, health experts advice the public to continue having their yearly vaccines in the meantime. However, until now scientists have struggled to achieve an immune response with the stem rather than the ever-changing head. Their results showed that the mice were completely protected from H5N1 bird flu virus while the ferrets were partially protected.

Conventional flu jabs target molecules on the surface of the flu virus, but these are constantly changing.

“FluGen has made significant progress in the development of our REDEE FLU influenza vaccine candidate”, said Paul V. Radspinner, Chief Executive Officer at FluGen.

But you might want to do a little research, of course, since last year’s vaccines were not so effective at the end of the day.

Seasonal flu typically causes more than 200,000 hospitalizations and 36,000 deaths every year in the United States. It has been found by two different US teams that an approach is effective in protecting against the disease.