Trials of the multivalent influenza vaccine showed that it dramatically reduced disease symptoms in animals and protected them from death
Scientists in the US have developed and tested in animals a universal (multipotent) mRNA vaccine against all 20 known strains of the influenza virus.
The broad-spectrum influenza vaccine held many promises that it could significantly help in a future influenza pandemicas its initial tests in rodents showed, it produced significant protection.
Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, led by microbiology professor Scott Hensley and mRNA vaccine research pioneer Professor Drew Wiseman, made the relevant publication in the journal Science. The two-dose vaccine being tested uses the same mRNA technology that incorporates Pfifer/BioNTech and Moderna’s coronavirus vaccines.
Trials of the multivalent influenza vaccine, against 18 subtypes of influenza A viruses (H1 to H18) and two strains of B viruses, showed that it dramatically reduced disease symptoms in animals and protected them from death, even when they were exposed to strains of influenza different than those used in the vaccine. The vaccine produced high levels of antibodies in the mice, which remained elevated for at least four months and which reacted strongly against all 20 subtypes of influenza viruses.
“The whole idea is to have a vaccine that gives people a baseline level of immune memory against different strains of flu so that there will be less illness and less death when the next flu pandemic happens,” said Dr. Hensley.
Influenza viruses periodically cause pandemics at a huge cost in human lives, the most famous case being the “Spanish” flu of 1918-19, when tens of millions of people died worldwide.
Influenza viruses circulate in birds, pigs and other animals, and pandemics begin when one of these strains “jumps” into humans and acquires mutations that allow it to become better adapted and thus spread from person to person. Current influenza vaccines are seasonal, partially protecting against recent strains, but not expected to protect against newly emerging pandemic strains.
A multivalent or universal influenza vaccine is not expected to provide neutralizing immunity that completely prevents influenza virus infections, but it will be able to significantly reduce the risk of serious illness and death.
Researchers are planning clinical trials of the multivalent vaccine in people of various ages. Furthermore, they hope that in the future a similar multipotent mRNA vaccine could be developed against other potentially pandemic viruses such as coronaviruses.
American companies Moderna and Pfizer have already developed mRNA flu vaccines that are in the final stages of human trials, while partners GSK and CureVac are in the early stages of human trials. But all these vaccines are not universal, but intended to protect against only four strains of flu that are circulating recently, although in theory their composition could change every year.
Because flu viruses are “moving targets” as they constantly evolve (mutate), flu vaccine makers have so far tried to predict what the dominant strains will be each year, but sometimes their prediction is off the mark, resulting in flu vaccine to be less effective than expected.
The ultimate goal is to replace annual seasonal vaccines with a universal “all-weather” vaccine, which is not easy.
RES-EMP
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