The Daily Telegraph has reported that scientists are a “step closer” to a universal flu vaccine following the discovery of a “super antibody” in a patient’s blood.
The news is based on a laboratory study that looked at finding ways to develop vaccines that offer broad protection against several flu strains. In the study, researchers isolated a human antibody that could target elements of flu virus particles shared between numerous strains. This antibody could in theory allow the body’s immune system to quickly detect and neutralise a range of flu infections. When tested in mice and
ferrets, the antibody was found to protect the animals against various strains of flu that would normally prove fatal in the quantities used.
The flu vaccines currently available are only able to offer protection against selected strains, and seasonal vaccines have to be re-formulated each year based on the flu strains predicted to be in circulation. A universal flu vaccine would mean that a new seasonal flu vaccine would not have to be made each year, and one vaccination might last a lifetime. The antibody identified in this study could help researchers to develop such a universal vaccine, but tests in humans will be needed before we know whether this is the case.
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