The unexpected effect of the avian flu vaccine
A study conducted by Dr. Florian Kramer from the Icahn School of Medicine in Mount Sinai (USA) and his colleagues has shown that the effect of vaccination against avian flu can be much broader than previously thought. In particular, this vaccine promotes the development of an immune response against the strains and other viruses that cause this dangerous disease. The results of the study are reported in a press release from Mount Sinai Hospital (Antibodies Triggered by Avian Influenza Virus Vaccine Illuminate a New Path Towards a Universal Flu Vaccine).
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), seasonal flu epidemics annually claim about half a million human lives. At the same time, the constant mutations of the virus force doctors to search for all new variants of vaccines that would be effective at the moment. Recently, the prospects of developing a "universal" vaccine against influenza and other respiratory viral infections have been increasingly discussed.
At first, Krammer's group wanted to identify the properties of antibodies produced in the human body in response to the introduction of a vaccine against the H7N9 virus, better known as avian influenza. In addition, the scientists set out to characterize the structures in the body of the virus, called epitopes, to which antibodies are attached. They described a total of 12 monoclonal antibodies produced in response to the introduction of an experimental vaccine containing live attenuated viruses.
Scientists have discovered previously unknown epitopes on the "head" and "body" of the H7N9 virus, but perhaps the main result of the work was an understanding of the mechanisms of the production of so-called "non-neutralizing antibodies".
"We have shown that the tests carried out annually to check the effectiveness of seasonal flu vaccines can detect only one part of the antibodies that you will receive after vaccination against avian flu. There are a number of other neutralizing and non-neutralizing antibodies, some of which target previously unknown epitopes on the HA protein. They provide protection against a deadly infection using the example of mice," said Florian Krammer.
According to the authors of the work, the antibodies they found are able to bind not only to the H7 strain, but also to H3. The results show that when evaluating the effectiveness of vaccines so far, we have seen only a small part of the broader picture.
"Our study shows us the mechanisms of [immune] protection that we did not understand, did not appreciate, or that we simply did not know about before. I believe that it will be of great importance for the development of a universal vaccine against the influenza virus," said Dr. Krammer.
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14.06.2016