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There will soon be a vaccine for most types of influenza at once
Medical expert of the article
Last reviewed: 02.07.2025
Every year, specialists have to develop new types of vaccines against influenza infection. And all because influenza viruses mutate, change and quickly adapt to the drugs administered, designed to resist the development of the disease. For several years, scientists have been working on creating a universal "vaccine" that could create protection against the main variations of the influenza virus strains. And now one of these developed drugs has already moved on to the second stage of testing.
The majority of modern vaccinations are based on the action of viral antibodies, which provoke an immune response and stimulate the immune defense to suppress the viral infection. However, influenza has the ability to adapt and change within one season. This explains the need for repeated vaccination before the next season.
As for the new vaccine, this drug is different in its production: mRNA molecules are used in protein coding, which is very similar to the conditions of a real infection (without infection itself). This provokes a powerful immune response of the body.
To date, scientists have managed to conduct a number of tests on rodents, and also conducted a randomized study with human influenza infection. Specialists noted that the effectiveness of the created vaccine has already been recorded at the 30-week mark. In addition, even after this period, the protection, although weakening, continues for quite a long time. The mRNA molecules are surrounded by fat particles to prevent their rejection until the moment when immune cells approach them.
Scientists will soon announce full-scale clinical trials involving humans.
Medical experts note that the expected vaccine will allow to practically establish control over the annual incidence of flu, even if its effectiveness is 50% less than that stated by scientists. With such a drug, it will be possible to get vaccinated against flu only once every few years and not think about the disease for a long time.
Influenza is considered a seasonal infectious pathology affecting the respiratory system. The disease is characterized by a high degree of contagiousness and mortality. Influenza infection is extremely common in all countries of the world and leads to the emergence of seasonal epidemics, during which hundreds of thousands of patients die every year. The infection is transmitted by airborne droplets, the entry gate is the upper respiratory tract - namely the structures of the ciliated epithelium. The most effective measure to prevent infection is vaccination, which must be carried out before each flu season.
The information was published by Nature Medicine and can be found on the Nature page