Flu News Friday: The Latest in Influenza Vaccines
March 12, 2021
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1. Vaccine researcher Kizzmekia Corbett receives 2021 NextGen Award
The Franklin Institute / March 11, 2021
Dr. Kizzmekia Corbett is the recipient of The Franklin Institute’s NextGen award, an award that recognizes innovation by scientists early in their careers, for her “outstanding contributions to the field of viral immunology and vaccine development, including an mRNA-based vaccine to combat the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2.” Dr. Corbett and the team at theNIH VRC have also worked to develop a universal influenza vaccine candidate slated for clinical trials.
2. CTSA award for team science goes to 3 UGA researchers
Michael Terrazas, University of Georgia Research / March 8, 2021
University of Georgia researchers Katie Ehrlich, Brad Phillips and Ted Ross were honored with the Presidents’ Award of Distinction for Team Science from the Georgia Clinical and Translational Science Alliance. They received the award for their interdisciplinary collaboration on immune responses to influenza. Cooperation from a variety of disciplines is what we need to accelerate innovation for next-generation and universal influenza vaccines.
3. Protective porcine influenza virus-specific monoclonal antibodies recognize similar haemagglutinin epitopes as humans
Holzer et al., PLOS Pathogens / March 4, 2021
Pigs and humans are natural hosts for the same subtypes of the influenza A virus. Frequent interspecies transmission contributes to viral evolution and fitness, and if the right conditions occur, zoonotic spillover can occur. The emergence of the 2009 H1N1 pandemic virus illustrates the importance of pigs in the evolution of zoonotic strains. Scientists of the Pirbright Institute generated influenza-specific monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) from H1N1pdm09 infected pigs. The results indicate pigs as a valuable animal model for monitoring antigenic drift of flu in humans and for the evaluation of antibody delivery platforms.
4. These Four Policy Changes Could Help Us Get Vaccines For The Next Pandemic Even Faster
Gostin et al., Forbes / March 2, 2021
Public health experts from Georgetown University’s O’Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law reflect on lessons learned from SARS-CoV-2 vaccine development and discuss the four policy changes that could speed up the response to the next pandemic. This involves the investment of pan-virus vaccines, including universal influenza vaccines as part of pandemic preparedness.
5. Engineered influenza virions reveal the contributions of non-hemagglutinin structural proteins to vaccine mediated protection
Luo et al., American Society for Microbiology / March 1, 2021
Scientists from Duke University engineered influenza viral particles to study the contributions of all non-HA antigens for the protection from influenza. The engineered virus contained all viral proteins except the hemagglutinin (HA) protein. The scientists concluded that although anti-HA immunity is important for protecting against vaccine-matched strains, other structural proteins drive protection against drifted, homosubtypic strains. The findings highlight the role of non-HA antigens in the development of long-lasting, broadly protective universal influenza vaccines.
6. Hemagglutination Inhibition (HAI) Antibody Landscapes after Vaccination with diverse H7 hemagglutinin (HA) proteins [Preprint]
Jang et al., bioRxiv / January 25, 2021
Although H7 influenza viruses in humans are uncommon, there have been six epidemics that warrant concern of this subtype to develop human-to-human transmission and pandemic potential. The purpose of the study was to investigate antigenic differences among influenza A H7 strains and to identify H7 HA proteins that could elicit protective, receptor-blocking antibodies against co-circulating H7 influenza strains. Specific amino acid mutations were identified that could result in vaccine mismatches. The authors conclude that future universal influenza vaccine candidates should take into account viral variants with these key mutations.
7. Funding Opportunities & Information
Notice of Special Interest (NOSI): Complement in Basic Immunology (CIBI)
National Institute of Allergy & Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health / Opens June 5, 2021 / Expiration Date January 8, 2023
Developmental pathway funding scheme: July 2021
Medical Research Council, UK Research & Innovation / Opens June 11, 2021 / Closes July 21, 2021
MRC infections and immunity research grant: September 2021
Medical Research Council, UK Research & Innovation / Opens June 14, 2021 / Closes September 8, 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
