Researchers at the University of Missouri School of Medicine announced on April 15 that they are developing a new approach to flu vaccination, aiming to make vaccines more effective and provide protection against multiple strains of the virus.
This development could be significant for public health, as influenza remains a major cause of illness and death each year. The new method may also offer insights into fighting other rapidly changing viruses.
The research focuses on teaching the immune system to recognize specific parts of the virus known as epitopes. These regions are less likely to change between different strains. Xiu-Feng (Henry) Wan, PhD, professor at the Mizzou School of Medicine, said: "Right now, current influenza vaccines primarily trigger immune responses to the entire protein, especially in the highly variable region, instead of focusing on parts that don't change much. So, when changes happen – which is likely – the immune system may not respond effectively or activate its 'memory' after re-exposure." Wan explained that targeting these epitopes helps coordinate different types of immune cells and could make future vaccines more reliable.
If successful in humans, this strategy might be used for other fast-evolving viruses such as COVID-19 or RSV. "These upper respiratory infections are a major public health concern and contribute to thousands of deaths per year," Wan said. "Anything we can do to improve the influenza vaccine can help save lives and keep people out of the hospital."
Wan directs the NextGen Center for Influenza and Emerging Infectious Diseases at Mizzou and holds positions in several university departments including Molecular Microbiology and Immunology; Veterinary Pathobiology; Electrical Engineering; Computer Science; and is also a Curators' Distinguished Professor.
Looking ahead, researchers hope this work will lead toward more universal vaccines that protect against many strains with fewer annual updates.
