The “H” in the name of the flu is Hemagglutinin, a protein that viruses use to stick to the outside of cells. “N” is the opposite.protein neuraminidase what viruses use escape From cells after regeneration. If you think of a human cell as having many entry and exit doors, each with a different lock, H and N are the keys the virus has to enter and exit.
For the two viruses encoded by H5N1 and H5N3, both have the same (or similar) version of hemagglutinin, but completely different versions of neuraminidase. Still, if someone has recently been infected with the first virus, the second virus is well protected. However, none of the body’s enhanced defenses against H5N1 are retained when something like H3N2 is hoisted up.
Every year, researchers look at the flu cases they see, look at those that haven’t been around for a while, and try to create vaccines that attack the most likely types. are particularly worrisome when they see viruses in animals that carry protein pairs that have not occurred in humans for decades.
That’s what makes this new vaccine strategy exciting.
Current influenza vaccines consist of four influenza virus antigens and offer little protection beyond the viral strains targeted by the vaccine. A universal influenza vaccine capable of protecting against all 20 strains could help prevent the next pandemic. Demonstration of the feasibility of a particle COVID-19 vaccine provides a possible strategy.
If it seems that vaccine design contains almost all the buzzwords of modern vaccine technology, it is. BioNTech and Moderna’s mRNA COVID-19 vaccine is the first to be approved for human use. But now that the door is open, this technology has great potential, such as an excellent flu vaccine.
The vaccine created by Penn’s team covers all 18 known versions. hemagglutinin. So even if something like the current flu circulating among birds were to hit humans tomorrow, there would already be a fairly effective vaccine.
This does not mean that annual flu shots are over, these shots will continue to focus on the types most likely to be seen during the season. can also greatly reduce the chance of
There are still some steps left to show that this vaccine is safe and effective in humans. Among other things, there are concerns that obtaining enough vaccine to respond to all 18 versions of ‘H’ would require large doses, which could lead to unpleasant reactions. (This is exactly why it’s difficult to create a universal shot of his COVID-19 that addresses all known variants.)
However, the technology contained in this vaccine has already been tested against COVID-19, so it is hoped that this vaccine will move forward without worrying about the use of mRNA or lipid capsules. It will not be part of the vaccines we will be using this year. But next year? perhaps.
