TSRI and Janssen close in on universal flu vaccine
pharmafile | August 25, 2015 | News story | Manufacturing and Production | Janssen, Vaccine, flu, immunology, universal flu vaccine
Scientists from Janssen and The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) have found a way to induce antibodies to fight a wide range of influenza subtypes.
It is hoped the early research in animals could one day eliminate the need for repeated and sometimes ineffective seasonal flu shots.
The study was part of an infectious disease research collaboration between the Janssen Prevention Centre in Leiden, Holland and TSRI.
While an annual flu shot for at-risk groups provides some protection, subtypes not covered by the vaccine can emerge rapidly. This occurred most recently during the 2009 outbreak of the H1N1 ‘swine flu’ subtype that killed an estimated 151,700 to 575,400 people worldwide.
Recent studies from TSRI, Janssen and other institutions have shown that some people are capable of making powerful antibodies that can fight many influenza subtypes simultaneously by targeting a site on the virus that does not mutate rapidly, called ‘broadly neutralising antibodies,’ or bnAbs.
Unfortunately, these are rare, but their existence led Janssen and TRSI to attempt the creation of an influenza vaccine specially designed to elicit them.
The created antibodies target the hemagglutinin (HA) protein, which exists on the surface of all subtypes of influenza, and provides the ‘key’ or mechanism by which the virus enters cells. The ultimate goal was to use this synthetic version of the HA stem in a vaccine to teach the body to make powerful antibodies against influenza virus, priming it to fight off a variety of flu strains.
They have tested the response in primates, ferrets and mice, and found that the most promising candidate mimicked the HA stem and that antibodies could bind in the same way as a real virus.
With proof that they can elicit antibodies against the stem region, the researchers will now try to discover if they can do the same in humans.
Ian Wilson, Hansen professor of structural biology and chair of the department of integrative structural and computational biology at TSRI, comments: “This was the proof of principle. These tests showed that antibodies elicited against one influenza subtype could protect against a different subtype.
“This study shows that we’re moving in the right direction for a universal flu vaccine. If the body can make an immune response against the HA stem, it’s difficult for the virus to escape. While there is more work to be done, the ultimate goal, of course, would be to create a life-long vaccine.”
Joel Levy
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