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Researchers have published a study that offers a more powerful alternative to fight the flu.
The researchers made a discovery in the preventive treatment of influenza. A study was published on November 2 in the journal Science. By combining immunotherapy and gene therapy, an artificial antibody would protect against the flu. The advantage? It fights dozens of strains of the virus.
Influenza vaccine: moderate efficacy
The effectiveness of the flu vaccine is questioned. It does not affect all strains of the virus, does not avoid 100% of the flu and must be renewed every year to protect against the winter epidemic to come. It is still more and more recommended. The vaccination campaign evolves each year by offering free to more profiles. The flu has caused 13,000 deaths during the winter of 2017-2018, to 93% of people over 65 according to Public Health France.
But the journal Science revealed Friday, November 2 a new study conducted by an international team of researchers. A new treatment would better fight against the virus, with a broader spectrum of protection since it would target 59 strains of the flu.
A great antibody against the flu
The idea of the study? Create a great antibody against the flu. The researchers noticed that some people were able to develop antibodies based on different strains of the virus. To chain them together would allow to create a more powerful antibody. So they made a gene that could bind them.
The study was conducted on mice injected with this gene via a harmless virus. They received 60 strains of the virus, one of which was potentially fatal and showed no symptoms. Only one strain resisted this treatment. That said, the treatment is not yet applicable to humans as the New York Times explains, but is already a significant step forward.
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