The First Vaccine to Fight All Forms of the Flu Is Almost Here

As you’ve probably heard, the flu is now in every state in the country. While pediatricians make it clear that everyone 6 months and older should get the flu shot, part of parental aversion to the vaccine is that it only covers specific strains of the virus. Their argument: Why subject baby to more poking and prodding if it might not even work? Researchers are working to address that exact issue, creating the first-ever universal flu vaccine.

New research published in the journal Science is offering hope for the universal vaccine concept by suggesting the possibility of an immunization made from alternative flu strains. Using a mutant strain of the influenza A virus, researchers created a vaccine that significantly boosted the immune systems of mice and ferrets. They’re hopeful it will work on humans too.

Starting experimentation with a mutant strain of influenza A was especially important, because as the World Health Organization reports, this year’s flu epidemic in North America consists predominantly of influenza A H3N2. The standard flu shot protects better against influenza A H1N1 and influenza B. Next up, the researchers hope to move onto testing influenza B.

This new research isn’t the first to explore the possibility of a universal flu shot. In October, rather than working with different flu strains, Oxford researchers sought to restructure the core of the vaccine. The current flu vaccine is changed annually to match whichever strains of the virus are circulating. Manufacturers create the vaccine with the ever-changing proteins found on the surface of the virus, and it does its job by boosting your antibodies. But because today’s version of the flu shot doesn’t offer the strongest protection for those with weaker immune systems—like babies or older patients—the Oxford researchers sought to make a vaccine that targets the part of the virus that doesn’t change. Rather than use surface proteins, they used proteins found in the virus’s core. And rather than boost antibodies, it boosts virus-killing T-cells.

The new vaccine is intended to last much longer than the current annual flu shot.

“We’re hoping it will last two to three years—maybe even four years—but we really don’t know until we do the trials,” says Tom Evans, the chief executive of Vaccitech, who developed the vaccine.

The vaccine has already safely made it through Phase I of clinical testing, making it the first universal flu vaccine to do so. Phase II involves testing on 500 patients. Over the next two years, it will be tested on over 2,000 people.

H/T Reuters

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