Oregon researchers working on ‘promising’ universal flu vaccine – Central Oregon Daily

Flu season is approaching and doctors are recommending you get your annual flu shot.

Research is being conducted here in Oregon that could lead to a one-and-done flu shot that provides lifetime immunity.

"It occurred to me after my son got infected with influenza that the annual influenza vaccine falls short and we need a one and done shot. What we showed is proof of concept that has merit and should be further explored."

In pre-clinical trials, Oregon Health Science University professor Jonah Sacha demonstrated a vaccine platform that attacks the internal proteins of the virus that triggered the 1918 flu pandemic and killed millions of people.

Current annual flu vaccines only attack the outer shell of virus proteins, which mutate over time, making them harder to stop.

"This idea of shooting where the virus just was and it's moved on by the time the bullet strikes is to, like a hunter, tracking the progress of the virus and aiming where it's going to be so you can hit the virus dead on. The idea behind this is you hit the virus in a place where it cant move and escape from," Sacha said.

Researchers reported the vaccine generated a robust immune response in nonhuman primates that were exposed to the modern avian H5N1 influenza virus.

But the primates were inoculated against the influenza virus of 1918, proving the internal proteins of viruses dont change much over time.

"None of us like getting an annual flu shot but it's important. But if you can make it even easier with a one shot for life, its a huge advantage for human health and thats what we are aiming for here."

Sacha says the lifetime influenza vaccine platform is almost ready for clinical trials in humans and could available for use by the general public in five to ten years.

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Oregon researchers working on 'promising' universal flu vaccine - Central Oregon Daily