YOUR HEALTH: An influenza vaccine that covers you better and does not hurt

SEATTLE, Washington – This year's announcement is particularly bad for the flu.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that more than 170 children have already died from complications of influenza.

Seasonal influenza vaccines only protect you from three or four influenza strains, but researchers at the University of Washington are working to address this situation by using a vaccine that protects against all strains.

That would be great for Lauren Reed. She has two young children and a full time job.

She knows that annual influenza vaccines do not protect against all strains of influenza.

"Even if it's a small chance to avoid it, I'll take that!"

Two researchers from two different labs are working on a universal flu vaccine, a vaccine that would protect against all strains.

Now they work together.

David Baker designs proteins to generate global responses to the flu.

"Proteins mimic the virus so when you're immunized with this protein, your body sees that it's alien and reacts .If it's pretty similar to the virus, the response to the vaccine will also be a response to virus." "says David Baker, director of the University's Institute for Protein Design.

The protein leaves the body, but the immune response remains active.

In her lab, Deborah Fuller had identified genetic sequences to fight the flu, but the immune response of the people was not strong.

Now, with Baker's protein platform and the gene gun that she is developing, work on a universal flu vaccine is advancing.

"We put coded DNA on small particles of one – micron gold, and these gold particles are accelerated by a high – speed gene gun and then transferred to the cells. of skin, "said Fuller, professor of microbiology.

NEW SEARCH: Current vaccines take nine months from the moment the virus is identified to when it can actually be injected into people. Most deaths from influenza occur in the first three to six months. Therefore, vaccines are not available when they are needed most. It takes less than three months to produce a DNA vaccine, which would protect against all types of flu. The first DNA vaccines were administered with a needle and a syringe and were very inefficient because of the low uptake of DNA into the cells of the body. Now, with the gene gun, the DNA could be transferred much more efficiently into skin cells, which would give more cells producing the vaccine and a much better immune response.

She says it does not hurt at all.

Now she is working on a gene gun for clinical trials, but these might not start before five years.

Fuller assumes that it could run out ten years before you can see your doctor and receive this universal flu shot.

Baker and she both said the potential of this collaboration was huge: they could use this system for other diseases such as HIV or cancer.

If this story has had an impact on your life or prompted you, or anyone you know, to search for or change treatments, please let us know by contacting Jim Mertens at [email protected] or Marjorie Bekaert Thomas at [email protected].