mRNA Universal Flu Vaccine

"Our approach was to make a vaccine that encoded every influenza subtype and lineage that we know about,"

"The goal was to establish a baseline level of immune memory that could then be recalled when a new pandemic strain emerges."

"The idea here is to have a vaccine that will give people a baseline level of immune memory to diverse flu strains, so that there will be far less disease and death when the next flu pandemic occurs."

"We're still in preclinical testing at this phase -- we are planning a Phase 1 human study, but so far from animal models it does look like this vaccine achieved our goal of inducing immune memory in a broad way,"

"Imagine if the population was primed with this vaccine, what we might see is not necessarily protection from infection with new pandemic strains but a reduction in hospitalizations and severe disease — and that's really our main goal."

Scott Hensley, immunologist, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania

Abstract:  Seasonal influenza vaccines offer little protection against pandemic influenza virus strains. It is difficult to create effective prepandemic vaccines because it is uncertain which influenza virus subtype will cause the next pandemic. In this work, we developed a nucleoside-modified messenger RNA (mRNA)–lipid nanoparticle vaccine encoding hemagglutinin antigens from all 20 known influenza A virus subtypes and influenza B virus lineages. This multivalent vaccine elicited high levels of cross-reactive and subtype-specific antibodies in mice and ferrets that reacted to all 20 encoded antigens. Vaccination protected mice and ferrets challenged with matched and mismatched viral strains, and this protection was at least partially dependent on antibodies. Our studies indicate that mRNA vaccines can provide protection against antigenically variable viruses by simultaneously inducing antibodies against multiple antigens."

Science   A multivalent nucleoside-modified mRNA vaccine against all known influenza virus subtypes

A new has study found a new mRNA flu vaccine produced high levels of antibody protection in mice and ferrets against all flu strains, which could one day help pave the way for a universal flu shot. (Matt Rourke/The Associated Press)

"It really puts this strategy more than a foot in the door — I'd say completely through the door — of clinical application."

"It's one of those times where you see a scientific paper in animals and you know that this could be in humans in what would be a short-to-mid-term timeline."

"So let's see if this works. We all hope it will."

Gary Kobinger, director, Galveston National Laboratory, University of Texas 

A potential pathway to a universal flu vaccine to help prevent future pandemics appears on the horizon, with a paper published in the journal Science, outlining an experimental vaccine whose initial tests in mice and ferrets provided broad protection against all 20 known influenza A and B virus subtypes. This is a two-dose vaccine based on the same messenger RNA (mRNA) technology vested in the COVID-19 shots developed by Pfizer/BioNTech, and Moderna.

Tiny lipid particles containing mRNA 'instructions' for cells to create replicas of 'hemagglutinin' proteins appearing on influenza virus surfaces. This anticipated universal vaccine would not eliminate flu seasons, it would replace the guesswork of developing annual vaccines months ahead of the season annually.

Standard flu shots deliver one or two variants of hemagglutinin; the experimental vaccine on the other hand, includes 20 different types in the expectation that the immune system would recognize any flu virus the future would lead it to encounter. Vaccinated animals in lab experiments demonstrated that t heir immune systems recognized the hemagglutinin proteins and defended against 18 different influenza A and two trains of influenza B.

Antibody levels the vaccine induced remained unchanged for up to four months, according to the report published in Science. Signs of illness were reduced by the vaccine, and protection from death occurred even when the ferrets were exposed to a different type of flu, one not included in the vaccine, according to the researchers.

 

The ground-breaking technology used to create the Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines, mRNA, could also be used to produce vaccines for other diseases including HIV, the flu and even cancer. Still from Video