Development of universal influenza vaccines based on influenza virus M and NP genes

Abstract

Vaccination is the safest and most effective measure against influenza virus infections. However, traditional influenza vaccines cannot respond effectively to an unforeseen epidemic or pandemic caused by a virus with antigenic drifts or antigenic shifts. Therefore, developing a universal influenza vaccine (UIV) that induces broad-spectrum and long-term immunity has become a major trend in influenza vaccine research and development. This article reviews the development of UIVs based on these conserved influenza virus proteins. The matrix protein (M1, M2) and nucleoprotein (NP) of influenza viruses have highly conserved sequences, and they become the major target antigens of current UIV studies.