What Is Universal Flu Vaccine and Are We Close To Getting One?

The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) has started developing the universal flu vaccine, which can be a breakthrough in combating the influenza virus. As the flu season starts this year, immunization is important in protecting millions of people against the flu virus.

One of the challenges with seasonal flu vaccines is the mutation of the flu virus. Since the virus mutates more often, scientists must develop flu vaccines that will match the predicted flu strains yearly. The universal flu vaccine could address this problem with a higher efficacy rate.

In this article, let’s discuss the universal flu vaccine more, such as the difference between the seasonal and universal flu vaccines, its efficacy, and the latest update on its development.

What’s In The Article?

• How Serious Is the Flu Infection?

• What Is A Universal Flu Vaccine?

• Universal Fu Vaccine Vs. Seasonal Flu Vaccine: What’s the Difference?

• Why Is A Universal Flu Vaccine Needed?

• Would A Universal Flu Vaccine Be Effective?

• What’s The Latest Update On The Universal Flu Vaccine Research?

• Final Thoughts

How Serious Is the Flu Infection?

According to the CDC, as of November 2022, influenza has reached more than 6 million cases, 53,000 hospitalizations, and nearly 3,000 deaths. Flu infection can cause serious illness and complications, especially in high-risk groups, such as older adults, immunocompromised people, and those with underlying chronic medical conditions.

What Is A Universal Flu Vaccine?

Each year’s flu vaccines are developed for certain influenza viruses predicted to circulate this season.

The Centers For Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has recommended that six months and older get a seasonal flu vaccine yearly since flu viruses are constantly changing.

Experts are currently working on developing a universal flu vaccine that will protect against all strains of influenza, even if it changes every year.

Flu viruses contain two proteins on their outside surface: hemagglutinin (H or HA) and neuraminidase (N or NA). Seasonal flu vaccines work by targeting the HA head, which evolves frequently.

The universal flu vaccine is designed to target the inner stem of the HA, which usually doesn’t change often.

Universal Flu Vaccine Vs. Seasonal Flu Vaccine: What’s the Difference?

According to the CDC, studies have found that seasonal flu vaccines are 40% to 60% effective against flu infection. While universal flu vaccine research and development is still underway, the NIAID has stated that it should be at least 75% effective.

Multiple types of annual flu vaccines are preferably available for different age groups. For instance, the CDC recommends the Fluzone High-Dose Quadrivalent vaccine, Flublok Quadrivalent recombinant flu vaccine, or Fluad Quadrivalent adjuvanted flu vaccine for people aged 65 years and older. However, universal flu vaccines are expected to be appropriate for all age groups.

Universal flu vaccines could also provide longer protection against influenza and its complication than the seasonal flu vaccine since it targets the region of the flu virus that doesn’t frequently change. Therefore, it could still be effective for a longer period even if a virus strain mutates.

Why Is A Universal Flu Vaccine Needed?

Since universal flu vaccines can provide longer protection against the flu, it could eliminate the need for annual flu vaccination, making it more convenient than seasonal flu vaccines, especially for people who don’t have easier access to healthcare facilities.

While seasonal flu vaccines cannot provide protection against the pandemic flu virus, experts say that the universal flu vaccine could be effective against both seasonal and pandemic flu viruses since it can work for multiple strains of the flu virus.

Seasonal flu vaccines are developed based on the predicted flu virus strains for every year, which can lead to researchers having wrong predictions and producing less effective flu vaccines. This error can be avoided by successfully developing the universal flu vaccine.

Would A Universal Flu Vaccine Be Effective?

The NIAID projected a 75% efficacy on universal flu vaccines. It should provide robust protection for at least one year against multiple influenza virus strains. Experts have also stated that the promising universal flu vaccine could effectively prevent a worldwide flu outbreak.

What’s The Latest Update On The Universal Flu Vaccine Research?

The NIAID has developed the BPL-1357 candidate vaccine for the phase 1 clinical trial of the universal influenza vaccine, and healthy adult volunteers have been inoculated at the National Institutes of Health Clinical Center in Maryland. This candidate vaccine was successfully tested on mice by the NIAID and experts want to study how this vaccine will perform on humans.

Another study has shown that the universal flu vaccine could be effective against 20 strains of influenza A and B viruses. The vaccine used in this research was based on mRNA, which was the same approach used in COVID-19 vaccines by Pfizer and Moderna.

The vaccine was tested in mice, and the result showed that the test subjects produced antibodies for all 20 strains of influenza.

Several studies were done to test the efficacy of the universal flu vaccine which resulted in high hopes for the successful development of this vaccine.

Final Thoughts

The universal flu vaccine is expected to provide strong and long-term immunization. While research and testing are still ongoing for the universal flu vaccine, initial results have shown the efficacy of this vaccine against multiple strains or subtypes of the flu virus.