Universal flu shot shows promise in animal tests
AN EXPERIMENTAL vaccine provided broad protection against all 20 known influenza A and B virus subtypes in initial tests in mice and ferrets, potentially opening a pathway to a universal flu shot that might help prevent future pandemics, according to a US study published in November.
The two-dose vaccine employs the same messenger RNA (mRNA) technology used in the Covid-19 shots developed by Pfizer with BioNTech, and by Moderna. It delivers tiny lipid particles
containing mRNA instructions for cells to create replicas of so-called hemagglutinin proteins that appear on influenza virus surfaces.
A universal vaccine would not mean an end to flu seasons, but would replace the guess work that goes into developing annual shots months ahead of flu season each year.
“The idea is to have a vaccine that will give people a baseline level of immune memory to diverse flu strains, so there will be far less disease and death when the next flu pandemic occurs,” study leader Scott Hensley of the Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, said.
Unlike standard flu vaccines that deliver one or two versions of hemagglutinin, the experimental vaccine includes 20 different types in the hope of getting the immune system to recognise any flu virus it might encounter in the future.
Moderna and Pfizer both have mRNA flu vaccines in late-stage human trials, and GSK and partner CureVac are testing an mRNA flu vaccine in an early-stage safety trial in humans. These vaccines are designed to defend against only four recentlycirculating influenza strains but could theoretically be changed up each year.
The universal flu vaccine, if successful in human trials, would not necessarily prevent infection. The goal is to provide durable protection against severe disease and death, Hensley said.