Researchers have developed a vaccine combining genes from four strains of influenza which may provide lifelong protection and soon pave the way towards a universal flu shot. The researchers looked whether a universal flu shot could be created by using a combination of multiple genes shared at the ancestral level by flu strains circulating. They reported the use of multiple centralised hemagglutinin (HA) genes, identified using protein sequence analysis programmes, to provide the greatest level of cross-protective immunity possible."Our idea is that these centralised antigens can set up a foundation of immunity against influenza," said lead researcher at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in the US.
"Because they are centralised and represent all the strains equally, they could provide a basis for immunity against all evolved strains," he added. The unconventional new vaccine was…
