Good news! Perhaps, we can finally get rid of the annual flu shot!
"An incredible new study published in the journal Science demonstrates the potential for a single mRNA vaccine to provide protection from all 20 known influenza A and B virus subtypes. ...
This new work is far from the first to explore the potential of mRNA vaccine technology to fight influenza. A number of mRNA flu vaccines are in various stages of being trialed. Most recently a team of researchers demonstrated preclinical efficacy of a mRNA vaccine that targets four specific influenza proteins and is believed to offer universal protection against most strains.
But what is particularly unique, and potentially controversial, about this new 20-strain mRNA vaccine is its targeting of many types of influenza that are not currently a problem in humans. The big hypothesis is that delivering a vaccine like this, particularly to very young children, could help prime their immune memory against all influenza subtypes for their entire life. ..."
"An experimental mRNA-based vaccine against all 20 known subtypes of influenza virus provided broad protection from otherwise lethal flu strains in initial tests, and thus might serve one day as a general preventative measure against future flu pandemics, according to researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.
The “multivalent” vaccine, which the researchers ... uses the same messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) technology employed in the Pfizer and Moderna SARS-CoV-2 vaccines. ...
In mice, the mRNA vaccine elicited high levels of antibodies, which stayed elevated for at least four months, and reacted strongly to all 20 flu subtypes. Moreover, the vaccine seemed relatively unaffected by prior influenza virus exposures, which can skew immune responses to conventional influenza vaccines. The researchers observed that the antibody response in the mice was strong and broad whether or not the animals had been exposed to flu virus before. ..."
In mice, the mRNA vaccine elicited high levels of antibodies, which stayed elevated for at least four months, and reacted strongly to all 20 flu subtypes. Moreover, the vaccine seemed relatively unaffected by prior influenza virus exposures, which can skew immune responses to conventional influenza vaccines. The researchers observed that the antibody response in the mice was strong and broad whether or not the animals had been exposed to flu virus before. ..."
From the abstract:
"Seasonal influenza vaccines offer little protection against pandemic influenza virus strains. It is difficult to create effective prepandemic vaccines because it is uncertain which influenza virus subtype will cause the next pandemic. In this work, we developed a nucleoside-modified messenger RNA (mRNA)–lipid nanoparticle vaccine encoding hemagglutinin antigens from all 20 known influenza A virus subtypes and influenza B virus lineages. This multivalent vaccine elicited high levels of cross-reactive and subtype-specific antibodies in mice and ferrets that reacted to all 20 encoded antigens. Vaccination protected mice and ferrets challenged with matched and mismatched viral strains, and this protection was at least partially dependent on antibodies. Our studies indicate that mRNA vaccines can provide protection against antigenically variable viruses by simultaneously inducing antibodies against multiple antigens."
Penn Scientists Develop 20-Subtype mRNA Flu Vaccine to Protect Against Future Flu Pandemics Promising results in animal models help pave the way for clinical trials
