A universal flu vaccine is ready to be tested in humans and could end the need for annual flu shots.
In a bad year, around 30,000 people in the UK die from flu or pneumonia, which can be a complication of flu.
Flu vaccine The NHS has services for people over 50, pregnant women and people with certain health conditions, but they don’t cover all strains.
Instead, each year before the flu season begins, experts predict which strains are likely to be more common and choose three or four strains for the next seasonal flu vaccine.
Manufacturers then need to make and distribute the vaccine — and in the meantime, the virus can change, potentially reducing the vaccine’s effectiveness.
A universal vaccine that covers all flu strains could eliminate these stages and potential problems.
The vaccine is based on mRNA technology, with Coronavirus vaccine.
An mRNA vaccine teaches our cells how to make a protein that triggers an immune response in our body.
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The new universal flu vaccine uses a specific portion of the influenza protein hemagglutinin (HA) to generate a broad immune response.
While one part of the HA protein, called the head, changes as flu viruses spread and evolve, the more stable part — the stem — evolves very slowly and is similar across many different types of viruses.
By using the HA stem as the basis for a vaccine, the researchers hope to induce long-term immunity against multiple influenza virus types.
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The Vaccine Research Center, run by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), is recruiting volunteers for clinical trials in the United States.
The trial will test different doses of the vaccine to determine the optimal dose, which will then be tested again.
The study will also include a group of people who will receive the normal seasonal flu vaccine.
NIAID acting director Hugh Auchincloss said a universal vaccine would be a “significant public health achievement.”
In addition to potentially eliminating the need for annual vaccinations, it also has the potential to avert possible future pandemics.
“A universal flu vaccine could serve as an important line of defense against the spread of future flu pandemics,” he said.