A new vaccine will be developed that can respond to any mutation in influenza B virus



In order to reduce the risk of aggravation of the

influenza epidemic every year, it is necessary to inoculate the influenza vaccine every time. However, because the antigenicity of the influenza virus changes, the vaccine may not be effective. A research team at Georgia State University's Institute of Biomedical Sciences has announced that it has developed a new vaccine for various strains of influenza B.

Layered protein nanoparticles containing influenza B HA stalk induced sustained cross-protection against viruses spanning both viral lineages --ScienceDirect
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biomaterials.2022.121664

Universal Influenza B Vaccine Induces Broad, Sustained Protection, Biomedical Sciences Researchers Find --Georgia State University News --Faculty, Institute for Biomedical Sciences, Press Releases, Research, University Research --Health & Wellness
https://news.gsu.edu/2022/07/08/universal-influenza-b-vaccine-induces-broad-sustained-protection-biomedical-sciences-researchers-find/

Influenza is prevalent almost every year, and the most common of these is influenza B virus. According to the research team, about a quarter of clinically infected cases are caused by the influenza B virus.



Influenza B virus is classified into two types, 'Yamagata strain' and 'Victoria strain', and vaccines are developed for either or both strains. However, because the shape of the '

erythroagglutinin ', which is the surface protein of the influenza B virus that is prevalent, varies from season to season, it is possible that the vaccine will not be effective if the epidemic strain is not predicted.

Therefore, the vaccine developed by the research team is the 'double layer protein nanoparticle vaccine'. The hemagglutinin on the surface of the influenza virus is a long, hook-like protein, but it is the tip that mutates, and the stem remains unchanged. This double-layer protein nanoparticle vaccine can be applied to various strains by using the stem of hemagglutinin as an antigen.


by NIAID

The research team said that they tested the vaccine in cultured cells and mice. Experiments with cultured cells have shown that protein nanoparticles are effectively taken up to activate dendritic cells, which are important for inducing a protective immune response against pathogens. In addition, mouse experiments have shown that the vaccine is safe, biocompatible, biodegradable and highly immunogenic to animals.

'We believe that layered protein nanoparticles incorporating structurally stabilized antigens have the potential to be a versatile influenza vaccine with improved immune defense and range of efficacy,' said Baozhong Wang, senior author of the paper. 'Our next goal is to combine the previously studied influenza A vaccine nanoparticles with the influenza B vaccine nanoparticles to create influenza A.' It's about creating a vaccine for both influenza B. '

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