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A remarkable and unexpected finding stemming from the examination of antibodies derived from a small group of people who contracted the 2009 `swine flu’ virus may eventually lead to the creation of a `universal’ flu vaccine.
At least that is the hope of researchers whose findings will be published in the January 10th edition of Journal of Experimental Medicine.
It turns out that some of those who were tested developed a number of antibodies that conferred broad immunity against a variety of influenza viruses, not just the novel H1N1 flu strain.
We get the details from from a couple of press releases. First from the University of Chicago Medical Center.
H1N1 pandemic points to vaccine strategy for multiple flu strains
Although the 2009 H1N1 influenza pandemic infected an estimated 60 million people and hospitalized more than 250,000 in the United States, it also brought one significant benefit—clues about how to make a vaccine that could protect against multiple strains of influenza.
In the Jan. 10, 2011, issue of the Journal of Experimental Medicine, researchers from the University of Chicago and Emory University report that people who were infected with pandemic H1N1 and recovered had an extraordinary immune response, producing antibodies that are protective against a variety of flu strains.
The 2009 H1N1 virus matched typical influenza strains only in the components that are absolutely critical for the virus to function. It induced an immune response to those components that overlapped with prior influenza exposures. Incorporating these defenses--focused on the virus's most essential molecules--into a vaccine could put an end to the yearly scramble to predict coming flu strains and quickly mass produce a different vaccine each fall.
"The result is something like the Holy Grail for flu-vaccine research," said study author Patrick Wilson, PhD, assistant professor of medicine at the University of Chicago. "It demonstrates how to make a single vaccine that could potentially provide immunity to all influenza. The surprise was that such a very different influenza strain, as opposed to the most common strains, could lead us to something so widely applicable."
Next, from Emory University.
Pandemic flu strain could point way to universal vaccine
The search for a universal flu vaccine has received a boost from a surprising source: the 2009 H1N1 pandemic flu strain.
Several patients infected with the 2009 H1N1 strain developed antibodies that are protective against a variety of flu strains, scientists from Emory University School of Medicine and the University of Chicago have found. The results were published online Monday in the Journal of Experimental Medicine.
"Our data shows that infection with the 2009 pandemic influenza strain could induce broadly protective antibodies that are only rarely seen after seasonal flu infections or flu shots," says first author Jens Wrammert, PhD, assistant professor of microbiology and immunology at Emory University School of Medicine and the Emory Vaccine Center.
"These findings show that these types of antibodies can be induced in humans, if the immune system has the right stimulation, and suggest that a pan-influenza vaccine might be feasible."
Additional coverage of this story today includes:
H1N1 pandemic flu points to vaccine strategy for multiple flu strains Science Daily
Universal flu shot that vaccinates for life a step closer Telegraph.co.uk
While enticing, this is just a step forward in the quest for a universal flu vaccine. More of a clue or a strategy on how to proceed, than an actual solution.
A safe, effective, and commercially available formula is still years away.
But this is how progress is measured. One small scientific discovery at a time.
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