London - A universal flu vaccine to protect against new strains of the bird and swine flu may be a step closer thanks to British research.
For decades the key to creating a vaccine to protect against all forms of flu has eluded scientists.
Current vaccines only target the most common strains by making the immune system produce antibodies to prevent infection.
But they remain one step behind the virus, which keeps evolving.
However, thanks to a study carried out during the 2009 swine flu outbreak, the annual flu season could be reduced and future pandemics prevented.
Scientists at Imperial College London used the outbreak as a “unique” natural experiment to investigate why some people got sick while others did not.
Hundreds of staff and students donated blood samples as the pandemic took off and were then monitored over the next two flu seasons. Those who did not get sick had more virus-killing immune cells, known as CD8 T cells, in their blood at the start of the pandemic, the study found.
A new vaccine would work by prompting the body to produce these cells to fend off the virus. Professor Ajit Lalvani from the National Heart and Lung Institute said the discovery has provided the “blueprint” for a vaccine. - Daily Mail