Description of nanoparticle vaccine containing proteins of many different flu strains. Credit: UW Medicine Institute for Protein Design
Scientists at UW Medicine and NIH have developed experimental flu shots that stimulate widespread immunity in animal tests.
Researchers have developed experimental flu shots that protect animals from a variety of seasonal and epidemic influenza strains. Vaccine production is currently moving towards clinical testing. If proven safe and effective, the next generation of influenza vaccines could replace current seasonal alternatives by protecting against many more strains that do not adequately cover existing vaccines.
A study of how the new flu vaccine was developed and how they protect mice, ferrets and human primates appears in the March 24, 2021 edition of the journal. Nature. This work was led by researchers And Washington Washington University School of Medicine and Vaccines
Part of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research Center at the National Institutes of Health.
The influenza virus causes approximately 290,000-650,000 deaths each year. Available flu vaccines, which need to be taken ally, often fail to protect against the spread of the spread of the flu strain and other influenza pandemics.
Researchers from Neil King of the Biochemistry Department of the University of Washington School of Medicine Medicine and the UW Medicine Institute for Protein Design have described the development of experimental nanoparticle vaccines against various seasonal and epidemic influenza strains. Credit: Randy Cornell / UW Medicine
“Most flu shots available today are quadrilaterals, meaning they are made from four strains of flu. Each year, the World Health Organization sets a condition on which the four strains will be most prevalent, but those predictions may vary significantly. Accuracy. That’s why we always put an end to ‘mismatched’ flu shots that are still helpful but only partially effective, “said Daniel Ellis, lead research scientist at Neil King’s Laboratory. King is an assistant professor of biochemistry at the UW School of Medicine and a researcher at the Institute for Protein Design of UW Medicine.
To create a modified influenza vaccine, the team combined hemangglutinin proteins with custom-made protein nanoparticles from four different influenza viruses. This approach enabled an unprecedented level of control over the molecular configuration of the vaccine and achieved improved immunity compared to conventional flu shots. The new nanoparticle vaccine, which contains four hemagglutinin proteins similar to the commercially available quadruple influenza vaccine, is a better antidepressant than the commercial vaccines of rats, ferrets, and human nuclei. Nanoparticle vaccines – also commercial vaccines – induce a protective antibody response against viruses that are not even involved in vaccine formulation. These include the avian influenza virus H5N1 and H7N9, which are considered epidemic hazards.
“Our vaccine is really strong against strain-matching viruses, and the extra shields we’ve seen against mismatch strains can reduce the risk of a bad flu season,” Ellis said.
Ref: March 24, 2021, Nature.
DOI: 10.1038 / s41586-021-03365-x
