Promising Universal Flu Vaccine Blocks Infection in Mice

A two-step flu vaccination strategy developed by the Swiss Institute of Virology and Immunology (IVI) has been found to be safe and effective in pigs. The strategy involves an intramuscular injection of a viral vectored flu vaccine followed by a nasal spray administration of a novel attenuated live flu virus. The vaccine did not cause symptoms in pigs and led to prolonged shedding from the upper respiratory tract, resulting in less shedding of the vaccine candidate. This approach significantly increased the duration of protective immunity and protection against flu virus variants. Further testing is required before this vaccine can be used in humans.

Meanwhile, researchers at the Cleveland Clinic have developed a potential universal flu vaccine designed to protect against all influenza strains. This experimental vaccine candidate, which combines eight proteins from five types of influenza virus, produced a strong immune response in lab mice and provided protection against severe infection after exposure to the virus. The methodology used for its design, COBRA (Computationally Optimized Broadly Reactive Antigens), involved digitally analyzing thousands of genetic sequences of pathogenic influenza strains. Although promising, further investigation is needed to confirm its efficacy in humans. Human clinical trials for the universal vaccine could start within one to three years.