Universal flu vaccine under human tests

A new universal flu vaccine was developed by Dr Sarah Gilbert at Oxford University, could mean an end to the annual jab. The difference between the current vaccine and the new vaccine is that new vaccine targets different parts of the virus which means it does not have to be altered every year to match circulating strains.

If successful, the vaccine would be a key weapon in a flu pandemic.

Traditional influenza vaccines are designed to prompt an immune response to H and N proteins on the outer shell of the virus, but the problems is that these proteins are subject to mutation, and again, every years a vaccine has to be formulated on the basis of the strains likely to be most prominent.

How does the new vaccine work?

According to the study, researchers used a current technique used in malaria and TB vaccine, where the vaccine uses a weakened smallpox virus to carry the protein inside the cell. Now, once the virus had invaded the cell and starts to mutate and multiply, these inner proteins called (Matrix Protein 1 and nucleo-protein), are revealed to the immune system. Then, a type of immune cell called a T cell, recognize the virus and start destroying the virus immediately.

Human Trials:

The researcher team has already started testing the new vaccine on 12 people in the U.K to test the effectiveness in people exposed to flu. If the trials work, they will take the tests to the next level and it could drastically change the way flu vaccine is used.

“With having to make new vaccine every year there’s never enough to go around.

“With this vaccine, we could end up having pretty much everyone vaccinated - a situation more like measles where you don’t really see it anymore.”

Researchers are hoping to use the same technique to combat HIV, TB, malaria and even cancer.

Via BBC Health

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