H1N1 influenza virus particlesFLICKR, NIAIDResearchers in Australia added an adjuvant to an inactivated influenza A vaccine and successfully boosted the shot’s effectiveness and cross-protective capabilities, according to a study published today (October 27) in mBio.
“Our best protection comes from the seasonal flu vaccine, which induces antibodies that neutralize the virus,” study coauthor Brendon Chua, a research fellow at the University of Melbourne, said in a press release. Seasonal flu vaccines a based on a prediction of the strains that are likely to dominate that year. “The holy grail would be to develop a vaccine that cross-protects against different strains, which would be beneficial for the whole community, even if the prediction of circulating strains is wrong.” A widely cross-protective vaccine could also protect people against flu strains that jump from other species, such as birds or pigs.
To develop a more powerful and broad vaccine, Chua and his colleagues added a synthetic lipopeptide that mimics a component of the ...
