Universal flu vaccine

A universal flu vaccine is flu vaccine that is effective against all influenza virus strains regardless of the virus subtype or viral genetic drift. Hence it should not require modification from year to year. As of 2019, there was no approved universal flu vaccine for general use, but several have been in development. A universal flu vaccine is flu vaccine that is effective against all influenza virus strains regardless of the virus subtype or viral genetic drift. Hence it should not require modification from year to year. As of 2019, there was no approved universal flu vaccine for general use, but several have been in development. On February 13, 2013, U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Chief Scientist Jesse Goodman predicted that a universal flu vaccine was still at least 5 to 10 years away. When asked about the prospects of a universal flu vaccine in a hearing before House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, Goodman replied 'Nature is very tricky and as this is a very crafty virus, so I'd be very hesitant to predict... I think the earliest we'd begin to see something with clinical benefit might be 5 to 10 years.' In recent years, research has concerned use of an antigen for the flu hemagglutinin (HA) stem.Based on the results of animal studies, a universal flu vaccine may use a two-step vaccination strategy: priming with a DNA-based HA vaccine, followed by a second dose with an inactivated, attenuated, or adenovirus-vecto-based vaccine. The NIAID/NIH state that 'developing new and improved vaccines is a high priority'. The BIO2016 convention featured a panel discussion titled 'Solving the Flu Problem: Can New Technologies Lead to Universal Flu Vaccines?' featuring speakers from BARDA and industry. Some people given a 2009 H1N1 flu vaccine have developed broadly protective antibodies, raising hopes for a universal flu vaccine. A 'vaccine'/antigen based on the hemagglutinin (HA) stem was the first to induce 'broadly neutralizing' antibodies to both HA-group 1 and HA-group 2 influenza in mice. In July 2011, researchers created an antibody, which targets a protein found on the surface of all influenza A viruses called haemagglutinin. F16 is the only known antibody that binds (its neutralizing activity is controversial) to all 16 subtypes of the influenza A virus hemagglutinin and might be the lynchpin for a universal influenza vaccine. The subdomain of the hemagglutinin that is targeted by FI6, namely the stalk domain, was actually successfully used earlier as universal influenza virus vaccine by Peter Palese's research group at Mount Sinai School of Medicine. Other vaccines are polypeptide based. A recent study from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, where researchers deleted gD-2 from the herpes virus, which is responsible for HSV microbes entering in and out of cells showed as of May 1st, 2018 the same vaccine can be used in a modified way to contain hemagglutinin and invoke a special ADCC immune response.