Abstract
The surface haemagglutinin (HA) glycoprotein is the immunogenic target for most of the influenza virus immune responses and consists of a globular head and a stalk domain. Recent advances have been made towards the design of a universal influenza virus vaccine to protect against different virus strains based on conserved domains of the HA molecule eliciting broadly neutralising antibodies (bnAb). Development of a universal vaccine for influenza that induces long-lived cross-protective immunity would displace the need for annual seasonal vaccination; prediction of circulating strains and vaccine reformulation. Intense research efforts have been focused on enhancing the potency and breadth of vaccine-induced bnAbs. However, knowledge of how such bnAbs are generated and their mechanisms of action are scarce. Experimental 2-step vaccination approaches using prime-boost regimes stimulate the production of bnAbs but they are usually limited in potency and breadth. Adjuvant enhanced vaccination strategies to elicit potent bnAb and improved B cell memory responses will have an immense impact in global health care and pre-pandemic preparation.
Highlights
Influenza is a perennial problem affecting millions of people annually together with the constant threat of emerging pandemic viruses
Given the possibility of an efficacious universal vaccine that inhibits virus replication and thereby reduces virus shedding, vulnerable populations would be protected from the spread of seasonal influenza virus and in the event of an impending influenza pandemic [5]
A reassortant virus created in the laboratory, containing the viral PB2 gene from H1N1 within a constellation of genes from the high pathogenicity avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1 virus, was shown to have greater virulence than the wildtype HPAI H5N1 virus with increased transmission and higher classification of pandemic potential [8]
Summary
Influenza is a perennial problem affecting millions of people annually together with the constant threat of emerging pandemic viruses. There is great interest in developing vaccination strategies that induce bnAbs for cross protection from different influenza virus strains and types, since influenza A (H1N1, H3N2) viruses cause ongoing problems of infection in human populations due to their constant evolution of viral surface antigens which escape immunity.
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