Annual flu shots could become a thing of the past under a new vaccine strategy developed and tested by University of Nebraska–Lincoln virologist Eric Weaver and his laboratory team.
Research findings published April 29 in Nature Communications reveal a possible breakthrough. The study, “Epitope-Optimized Vaccine Elicits Cross-Species Immunity Against Influenza A Virus,” describes a vaccine that protects against H1N1 swine flu and can also protect against influenza in humans and birds.
“This research sets the stage for developing universal influenza vaccines so people won’t have to go to the doctor and get a flu shot every year,” Weaver said. “This vaccine will protect you against the different strains that are out there.”
Swine vaccinated with the immunogens designed in Weaver’s laboratory exhibited no signs of illness after being exposed to a commonly circulating flu strain; developed antibodies against a multitude of viruses from several decades and multiple species, and maintained their immune response throughout the six-month longitudinal study.
Post-experiment regression analysis indicated that the immunity would not dissipate for a decade, Weaver said.
The Epigraph vaccine, named after computer software used to design it, significantly outperformed a commercial vaccine used by the pork industry and a “wild type” vaccine based on naturally occurring strains with similar immunogens.
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