Progress on 'universal' flu vaccine
Feb
2
Written by:
02/02/2012 12:21
Scientists are hoping that the identification of internal flu molecules shared by most strains of the virus may lead to the development of a "universal vaccine".
Scientists are hoping that the identification of internal flu molecules shared by most strains of the virus may lead to the development of a "universal vaccine".
While current flu vaccines produce an antibody response to surface molecules, the new study discovered a specific range of peptides within the internal structure of the flu virus.
By subjecting healthy volunteers to flu infections, the scientists found that the participants' immune systems targeted these peptides. They hope that by grasping the immune system's response they can produce a multi-strain vaccine.
The "universal vaccine" would have greater success killing the virus given the behaviour of the internal molecules.
The surface molecules that current vaccines target alter rapidly, making it hard for the immune system to tackle them, whereas the peptides change very slowly and are consistent across strains.
The peptides also act on the white blood cell elements of the immune system - T-cells - rather than antibodies.
Dr Tom Wilkinson, study leader at the University of Southampton, said: "Through this discovery we hope to improve vaccines for future strains of influenza, and potentially protect against the next pandemic. However, there is more to do to translate these findings into new approaches to treatment."
The Nature Medicine journal published the research team's findings.
Copyright Press Association 2012