Researchers at the University of Washington School of Medicine have developed a DNA vaccine that could lead to a universal vaccine for the flu in one dose, Digital Trends reported.
Deborah Fuller, a professor in the university's Department of Microbiology, explained the DNA vaccine in a news release, saying, "The current flu vaccine is an inactivated virus. The whole virus is first grown in eggs, then it's inactivated and injected. DNA vaccines are different. Instead of producing the vaccines in eggs, we instead inject a genetic code for proteins from the virus into our own cells.
"Our cells then read the code and produce the viral proteins (also known as) antigens. When our immune system sees the antigens, it makes immune responses that can protect against influenza infection."
"Relatively speaking, DNA vaccination is the new kid on the block with regard to the types of vaccines," Fuller added.
The difference between Fuller's vaccine and current vaccines is that instead of repelling the virus like current vaccines do, the DNA vaccine seeks out infected cells and kills them, the university news release said.
Flu vaccines are based on a prediction of what the next year's flu virus will look like, which could be inaccurate, as manufacturing of the vaccine in the required amounts takes nine months, the Digital Trends report said.
The vaccine from Fuller's lab would require production time of three months, the university news release said.
"It's no longer if, but rather when" a universal flu vaccine will be available for patients, Fuller said in the Digital Trends report. She said she believed the first universal vaccine would be available on the market in about 5 or 10 years.
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