New research led by Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) and published in the journal Nature Communications has introduced a new, “one-and-done” flu vaccine that can offer immunity for a whole lifetime. The team called it, “An influenza vaccine approach that overcomes the problem of viral sequence diversity and provides long-lived heterosubtypic protection [that] is urgently needed to protect against pandemic influenza viruses.” Researchers tested the formula against a virus scientists feel could cause the next pandemic. The team created a CMV-based experimental vaccine using the 1918 influenza version of the avian H5N1 flu – a strand that killed millions of people – as a template. In a highly secure biosafety level 3 lab at the University of Pittsburgh, they exposed vaccinated primates to aerosolized avian H5N1 influenza virus.Out of the 11 primates vaccinated, six managed to. This was in stark contrast to the unvaccinated control group, where all six primates died after exposure. The notable difference in survival rates offers hope that the experimental vaccine can ward off even the deadliest strands of influenza.

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“Inhalation of aerosolized H5N1 influenza virus can trigger respiratory failure,” said co-senior author Simon Barratt-Boyes, Ph.D., professor of infectious diseases at Pitt. “The immunity induced by the vaccine limited virus infection and lung damage, protecting the monkeys from this severe infection.”“This is exciting because basic science research typically progresses gradually, potentially taking 20 years to develop into something practical. This could become a vaccine in five years or less,” said Jonah Sacha, Ph.D., senior author and chief of the Division of Pathobiology at OHSU's Oregon National Primate Research Center.Sacha believes the new injection could also be useful against other mutating viruses, including various stands of SARS-CoV-2, saying, “It's a very viable approach. For viruses with pandemic potential, it's critical to have something like this. We tested influenza, but we don't know what virus will come next.”Douglas Reed, Ph.D., a senior co-author from the University of Pittsburgh, added that a new option needs to be brought to market much sooner than it would traditionally take for development due to the speed at which viruses continue to mutate and spread. Reed stated, “We need to quickly validate and deploy a new vaccine.”OHSU scientists previously created their formula to fight off HIV and tuberculosis – two deadly viruses that can easily take lives if contracted – and it’s already in clinical trials. The approach focuses on T cells targeting the virus's internal structural proteins. The proteins change very little over time, providing a stable target for T cells to attack infected cells.“It worked because the internal protein of the virus was so well preserved,” Sacha explained. “Even after nearly 100 years, the virus can't change these critically important parts of itself.”The team is hopeful that their new experimental vaccine is available to permanently fend off viruses, even as they mutate. Sacha said, “Within five to 10 years, a one-and-done shot for influenza is realistic. There is no question we are on the cusp of a new era in treating and preventing infectious diseases.”

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Cytomegalovirus vaccine vector-induced effector memory CD4 + T cells protect cynomolgus macaques from lethal aerosolized heterologous avian influenza challengeBreakthrough Near: Scientists Close to Developing ‘One and Done’ Anti-Flu Vaccine for Future PandemicsStudy reveals a promising approach to developing universal influenza vaccine