Washington: Scientists have developed an mRNA lipid nanoparticle vaccine containing antigens from all twenty known subtypes of influenza A and B viruses, a strategy that could serve as the basis for universal influenza vaccines, according to a study.
The vaccine, developed by researchers in the US and Canada, produced high levels of cross-reactive and subtype-specific antibodies in mice and ferrets and could protect the animals from disease symptoms and death after infection with both antigenically matched and mismatched strains of influenza. says the study.
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According to the study, even with increased global surveillance, it is difficult to predict which flu strain will cause the next flu pandemic, making a universal vaccine important.
The scientists’ approach differs from previous attempts to create a universal flu vaccine by including antigens specific to each subtype, rather than just a smaller set of antigens shared between subtypes, said the study, published in the journal Science.
Following the success of mRNA vaccines against SARS-CoV-2, the researchers prepared 20 different nanoparticle-encapsulated mRNAs, each encoding a different hemagglutinin antigen, a highly immunogenic influenza protein that helps the virus enter cells, the study said.
Antibody levels remained mostly stable four months after vaccination in the mice, the study said.
Multivalent protein vaccines produced using more traditional methods elicited fewer antibodies and were less protective than the multivalent mRNA vaccine in animals, the study said.
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