A new study was conducted and researchers discovered a new class of antibodies that was used to establish the idea for a new universal flu vaccine. The scientists from McMaster University and the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York, believe that their discovery can pave a way for a new cure for flu that can only be injected once and can kill all strains of the flu virus.
This will prevent the complications and problems arising from using annual vaccines that do not accurately match the strain of flu present at that time. Unlike in a universal vaccine, there will no longer be a need to annually have the shot.
Their discovery started when they isolated the universal-type antibodies in their natural setting. They were separated from the human blood and were discovered to be effective against flu viruses.
There have been reports of increased drift variants of the influenza virus this year despite the vaccination of people against it. The present vaccine was recommended by the World Health Organization and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggested the immediate vaccination of everyone because of the type of flu virus circulating is more potent than usual.
According to Matthew Miller, senior author of the new study and assistant professor in McMaster's Department of Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences at the Michael G. DeGroote School of Medicine, "Unlike seasonal vaccines, which must be given annually, this type of vaccine would only be given once, and would have the ability to protect against all strains of flu, even when the virus mutates. This would prevent the occurrence of flu pandemics and poor vaccine efficiency in the case of mismatches, which actually occurred this year."
Their study was published in the Journal of Virology and the findings in the research revealed the universal vaccine type which was isolated. They found out that the universal vaccine was less effective than the strain specific type of vaccines but when these antibodies are isolated in their natural setting and from human blood, it shows promise to be the first ever vaccine that can kill all strains of the virus.
