Researchers discover better way to design flu vaccines
TAIPEI – Taiwan’s top research institute has found a better way to design influenza vaccines that do not require frequent updates and annual immunizations.
A research team at the Genomics Research Center of Academia Sinica has engineered a glycoprotein-based flu vaccine that induces a greater immune response and greater protection against H1N1 flu virus strains in mice and ferrets than the traditional vaccine, the institute said in a statement.
The research, led by Academia Sinica President Wong Chi-huey, Associate Research Fellow Che Alex Ma and Associate Research Fellow Lin Kuo-i, received front-page coverage in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences on Jan. 28.
The new vaccine, which uses monosaccharide — the most basic carbohydrate unit — can induce broader protection against different flu strains and can lead to better flu vaccine design, according to the institute.
“This strategy could also map out a new direction for the development of universal flu vaccines and could be applied to vaccine designs for other human viruses,” the researchers said.
The research into cases of avian flu caused by the H5N1, H7N9 and H6N1 viruses in Asia highlight the particularly pressing need in the region for an improved vaccine design that does not require frequent updates and annual immunization, and that can provide cross-strain and cross-subtype protection.
The research also brings Wong one step closer to his ultimate goal of developing a universal vaccine. On Jan. 17, it was announced that Wong will be awarded the 2014 Wolf Prize, a major scientific accolade.
Source: The China Post
Published: 29 Jan 2014
