Flu News Friday: The Latest in Influenza Vaccines
February 26, 2021
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1. The Search for One Vaccine to Rule Them All
Emily Mullin, Future Human / February 22, 2021
This article discusses why we need universal influenza vaccines — vaccines that would confer immune responses to a diverse set of influenza subtypes — and how past UIV research has informed research for universal coronavirus vaccines.
2. How close is the world to having a universal flu vaccine?
Healio Infectious Disease News / February 23, 2021
Healio interviews Aaron E. Glatt, MD, chairman of medicine, chief of infectious diseases and hospital epidemiologist at Mount Sinai South Nassau in Oceanside, New York, and professor of medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, how close he thinks the world is to having a universal influenza vaccine and what it might look like.
3. Epigraph hemagglutinin vaccine induces broad cross-reactive immunity against swine H3 influenza virus
Bullard et al., Nature Communications / February 22, 2021
In this study, scientists from the Nebraska Center for Virology and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital constructed a UIV for swine using a computational algorithm and an adenovirus vector. Compared to both inactivated and live attenuated control vaccines, the UIV elicited significantly greater cross-reactive antibodies and T-cell responses in swine challenged with a diverse set of swine influenza H3 strains.
4. Expect flu to surge next winter, warn experts
Sarah Newey & Paul Nuki, The Telegraph / February 20, 2021
Experts warn there will be a significant resurgence of influenza next winter. Social distancing measures for COVID-19 led to remarkably low levels of activity for influenza and other infectious diseases. The article also explains why strain selection for the upcoming flu season’s vaccine has been difficult.
5. Broad cross protection by recombinant live attenuated influenza H3N2 seasonal virus expressing conserved M2 extracellular domain in a chimeric hemagglutinin
Park et al., Scientific Reports / February 18, 2021
Universal influenza vaccines targeting hemagglutinin (HA) elicit suboptimal protection against multiple influenza strains. An alternative approach is to target the matrix protein 2 ectodomain (M2e) as it is an evolutionarily conserved portion of the virus. Scientists from the Institute for Biomedical Sciences at Georgia State University and the Institute of Experimental Medicine in Russia engineered a vaccine involving a reassortment influenza virus expressing the M2e domain. Mice primed with this virus exhibited antibody responses specific to the M2e region and T cell responses, and were protected against a broad set of influenza A viruses subtypes.
6. Effect of race and ethnicity on influenza vaccine uptake among older US Medicare beneficiaries: a record-linkage cohort study
Mahmud et al., The Lancet Healthy Longevity / February 18, 2021
Seasonal influenza vaccine uptake among US adults aged 65 years or older remains suboptimal and stagnant. Further, there is growing concern around racial and ethnic disparities in uptake. The study aimed to assess racial and ethnic disparities in overall SIV and in high-dose vaccine (HDV) uptake among Medicare beneficiaries during the 2015–16 influenza season and sought to identify possible mediators for observed disparities.
7. A universal coronavirus vaccine
Wayne Koff & Seth Berkley, Science / February 19, 2021
The authors discuss why a universal coronavirus vaccine is needed, how the recent technological advances in multiple scientific disciplines have converged and paved the way for a new era of vaccine development, and why a global collaborative effort is needed to ultimately reach the goal of a universal vaccine.
8. Immunogenicity of standard, high-dose, MF59-adjuvanted, and recombinant-HA seasonal influenza vaccination in older adults
Li et al, npj Vaccines / February 16, 2021
Adjuvants or increasing vaccine antigen levels can help improve the efficacy of seasonal inactivated influenza vaccines. Scientists at the University of Hong Kong conducted a study to compare the immune responses of a standard vaccine versus three enhanced vaccines: an adjuvanted vaccine, a high dose vaccine, and a recombinant influenza vaccine. Each vaccine platform had an advantage over the standard-dose vaccine in terms of Natural Killer cell activation, hemagglutinin-stalk antibodies, and T cell responses. The study provides further immunological evidence for the preferential use of enhanced vaccine approaches in older adults.
9. Funding Information & Opportunities
Development of Medical Countermeasures for Biothreat Agents, Antimicrobial-Resistant Infections an Emerging Infectious Diseases [Contract Opportunity]
National Institute of Allergy & Infectious Diseases / Opened Feb 23, 2021 / Closes May 24, 2021
Focus of New NOSI — Complement Components in Immune Responses
National Institute of Allergy & Infectious Diseases Funding News / February 17, 2021
Emily Graul, Sabin Vaccine Institute
Visit Influenzer.org to learn more about our journey to accelerate the development of a universal influenza vaccine. @TheInfluenzers
