Does gene gun kill all strains of flu?

SEATTLE, Washington. (Ivanhoe Newswire) – The flu looks like a particularly difficult year. The CDC says that more than 170 children have already died of complications from the flu. Seasonal flu vaccines only protect you from three or four influenza strains, but researchers at the University of Washington are working to change that with a vaccine that would protect against all strains and a distribution system that does not not bad!
Lauren Reed has two small children and a full-time job. She knows that annual influenza vaccines do not protect against all strains of influenza.
Reed said, "Even if it's a small chance to avoid it, I'll take it!"
Two researchers from two different labs worked on a universal flu vaccine, a vaccine that would protect against all strains. Now they work together. David Baker, Ph.D. director at the Institute for Protein Design at the University of Washington, designs proteins to generate broad responses to the flu.
Baker said, "Proteins mimic the virus, so when you're immune to the protein, your body sees that it's foreign and reacts, and if it's pretty similar to the virus, the response to the vaccine will also be a reply. to the virus. "
The protein leaves the body, but the immune response remains active.
In her lab, Deborah Fuller, Ph.D., a professor in the Department of Microbiology, had identified genetic sequences to fight the flu, but people's immune responses were not strong. Now, with Baker's protein platform and the gene gun that she is developing, work on a universal flu vaccine is advancing.
Fuller said: "We put the coded DNA on small gold particles the size of a micron, and these gold particles are accelerated at high speed by a gun to genes, then transferred to the cells of the skin. "
She says it does not hurt a bit. Now she is working on a gene gun for clinical trials, but these may not start before five years.
Fuller assumes that it could take ten years before you can go to your doctor and get this universal flu vaccine. She and Baker say the potential of this collaboration is great: they could use this system for other diseases such as HIV or cancer.

Contributors include: Wendy Chioji, field producer; Rusty Reed, videographer; Cyndy McGrath, supervising producer; Hayley Hudson, assistant producer; Roque Correa, editor-in-chief.

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MEDICAL PASSAGE
RESEARCH SUMMARY

TOPIC: GENE PISTOL REMOVES ALL INFLUENZA STRAINS?
REPORT: MB # 4469

BACKGROUND: Influenza is a contagious respiratory disease caused by influenza viruses that infect the nose, throat and sometimes the lungs. It can cause mild to severe illness and can sometimes lead to death. Complications of the flu may include bacterial pneumonia, ear infections, sinus infections and the worsening of chronic medical conditions, such as congestive heart failure, asthma or diabetes. People who have the flu may suddenly experience fever, sore throat, cough, running nose or stuffy nose, muscle or body aches, headaches and fatigue. Vomiting and diarrhea may also occur, but more frequently in young children.
(Source: https://www.cdc.gov/flu/keyfacts.htm)

PREVENTION: The first and most important prevention of influenza is getting vaccinated every year. The influenza vaccine has been shown to reduce influenza-related illnesses and the risk of serious flu complications that can lead to hospitalization or even death. The CDC also recommends daily preventative actions (such as staying away from sick people, covering coughs and sneezes, and washing hands frequently) to help slow the spread of germs that cause respiratory illnesses, such as the flu. Influenza viruses are mainly transmitted by tiny droplets produced by people who cough, sneeze or talk. These droplets can land in the mouth or nose of people nearby. People with influenza are the most contagious within three to four days of the onset of their illness.
(Source: https://www.cdc.gov/flu/consumer/prevention.htm)

NEW RESEARCH: Current vaccines take nine months from the time the virus has been identified, until it can actually be injected into humans. Most of the mortality due to influenza occurs in the first three to six months. Vaccines are therefore not available when they are needed most. A DNA vaccine takes less than three months to produce and protect against all types of flu. The first DNA vaccines were delivered with just a needle and a syringe and were very inefficient because of the low uptake of DNA into the body's cells. Now, with the gene gun, the DNA could be transferred much more efficiently into skin cells, which would result in more cells producing the vaccine and much better immune responses.
(Source: Deborah Fuller, MD)

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