In the United States, the Clinical Center of the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda (Maryland) has begun registration for the first phase of trials of a new investigational universal influenza vaccine.
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The trial is sponsored by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) and evaluates the study vaccine for safety and its ability to elicit an immune response, EurekAlert reports.
It is noted that existing seasonal flu vaccines are effective at preventing only certain strains:
- Each year, vaccines are reevaluated and changed to better suit the flu strains predicted to be most dominant in the future flu season;
- Most seasonal flu vaccines are designed to train the immune system to protect against three to four different common flu strains, but a “universal” flu vaccine will be able to provide protection against many others.
An ideal universal flu vaccine would be taken less than once a year and protect against multiple strains of the flu virus. With each new universal influenza vaccine candidate and clinical trial, we take another step closer to this goal,” the researchers note.
The vaccine candidate being investigated is FluMos-v2, an adaptation of the preliminary universal influenza vaccine FluMos-v1, which was first tested in humans in 2021 and is still being tested.
FluMos-v2 is designed to induce antibodies against many different strains of influenza virus by displaying part of the influenza virus hemagglutinin (HA) protein in repeating patterns on self-assembled nanoparticle scaffolds.
Exposure to these harmless pieces of viral protein prepares the immune system to recognize and fight the real virus. When tested on animals, the experimental vaccine resulted in durable antibodies, the article notes.
It differs from its predecessor FluMos-v1 in that. which displays HA from more strains:
- FluMos-v1 reflected HA from four influenza virus strains;
- FluMos-v2 reflects HA from six to four influenza A viruses and two influenza B viruses. Researchers expect this will further enhance vaccine recipients’ immunity, providing protection against a broad range of influenza viruses.
This clinical trial is expected to enroll 24 healthy volunteers aged 18-50 years who will receive two intramuscular injections of FluMos-v2, given 16 weeks apart. For 40 weeks after the first vaccination, participants will receive regular telephone calls and assessments to track their response to the experimental vaccine.
Source: EurekAlert
A vaccine against different strains of influenza was created from nanoparticles.
Source: Racurs
I am David Wyatt, a professional writer and journalist for Buna Times. I specialize in the world section of news coverage, where I bring to light stories and issues that affect us globally. As a graduate of Journalism, I have always had the passion to spread knowledge through writing.