We recently published a strategy for selectively raising immune responses against regions shared between many different variants of influenza A virus. The objective was to enable broad and lasting protection from influenza disease following vaccination.
A challenge is that current influenza vaccines can raise antibodies only against a particular variant of influenza. Influenza viruses mutate so rapidly that vaccines then often end up with inferior protection, since the variant in the vaccine has become too different from the variants circulating to cause disease in the population. We recently published a strategy for selectively steering immune responses towards areas that are similar between different influenza variants, and as such awarding broader protection. In brief, we mixed hemagglutinin from 18 different subtypes of influenza to dilute strain specific responses and up-concentrate shared regions. When this mixture presents bivalent hemagglutinins to selected immune cells, immune responses are directed towards shared regions. The result is development of cross-reactive immune responses that can broadly protect against influenza.
Anderson, Ane Marie; Tjärnhage, Elias; Hinke, Daniëla Maria; Braathen, Ranveig; Grødeland, Gunnveig & Bogen, Bjarne (2025). DNA vaccines targeting hemagglutinin from 18 subtypes of influenza A virus to antigen-presenting cells confer broad protection. Molecular Therapy Nucleic Acids. 37(1). DOI: 10.1016/j.omtn.2025.102814.