- OHSU researchers have developed a promising vaccine platform that could potentially combat future flu pandemics.
- Using a 1918 flu virus-based vaccine, they achieved a 55% survival rate in primates exposed to the deadly H5N1 avian flu strain.
A team of researchers recently evaluated a vaccine platform developed by Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) against the strain of influenza virus that experts believe is most likely to cause the next global pandemic.
In the study published in Nature Communications, researchers reported that the vaccine triggered a strong immune response in nonhuman primates when they were exposed to the avian H5N1 influenza virus. This vaccine was not made from the current H5N1 virus; it was created from the 1918 flu virus that caused a massive pandemic over a hundred years ago.
“It's exciting because in most cases, this kind of basic science research advances the science very gradually; in 20 years, it might become something. This could actually become a vaccine in five years or less,” said Jonah Sacha, Ph.D., senior author, professor and chief of the Division of Pathobiology at OHSU's Oregon National Primate Research Center
Furthermore, researchers found that out of 11 nonhuman primates vaccinated with the 1918 flu virus, 6 survived exposure to the deadly H5N1 virus. In comparison, all 6 unvaccinated primates exposed to H5N1 died from the disease.
This new method uses a vaccine platform from OHSU, which was previously developed for HIV and tuberculosis and is already in use for an HIV clinical trial. It works by putting small parts of viruses into a common herpes virus called cytomegalovirus (CMV), which triggers an immune response from T cells.
Unlike regular vaccines that target the constantly changing surface proteins of viruses (like the flu vaccine does), this approach focuses on a type of T cell that targets the virus's internal, stable proteins. This method could provide a more effective and long-lasting immune response against evolving viruses like flu and SARS-CoV-2.
According to Sacha, the issue with the flu and viruses such as SARS-CoV-2 is their constant evolution, which means scientists are always trying to keep up with the latest strains. He noted that this new method focuses on internal proteins that remain unchanged, providing T cells with a stable target for combating both current and future strains of the virus.
Edited by Harshajit Sarmah
