A team led by Austrian virologist Florian Krammer has developed a new mRNA vaccine that alerts the immune system to four areas of the flu virus. In experiments with mice, such a vaccination protected against influenza infection better than vaccines with only one flu virus target, the researchers report.
The team, led by Florian Krammer, who conducts research at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York, packaged the templates (mRNAs) for four sites of the flu virus into a water-insoluble nanoparticle (lipid nanoparticle): part of the coupling device to the mammalian cells (the hemagglutinin strain, NB), two proteins in the envelope of the virus (neuraminidase and matrix protein 2) and one protein (the nucleoprotein) that transfers the viral genetic material into the nucleus of the host cells after infection.
Protection against different variants in animal testing
In experiments on mice, a single dose of this quadruple vaccine effectively protected the animals against a wide variety of variants of the influenza virus, the researchers explained. However, according to the researchers, sera containing only one of the four virus protein templates did not provide complete protection.
Video: How mRNA Vaccines Work
Potential for universal flu vaccine?
Such a quadruple mRNA serum would therefore have the potential for a universal influenza virus vaccine that is effective against many different subtypes of the influenza virus and confers immunity over a long period of time, the study authors report in the specialist journal PNAS.
Source: Krone

I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.