A analysis workforce led by the College of Public Well being within the LKS College of Drugs, the College of Hong Kong (HKUMed), in collaboration with the Heart for Immunology & An infection (C2i), has achieved a big breakthrough in growing broadly protecting, live-attenuated influenza vaccines (LAIV).
These progressive LAIV platforms supply potential to develop common influenza vaccines that induce a extra strong immune response towards numerous virus subtypes, together with each human and avian strains.
These achievements have resulted in a number of patents and accolades on the fiftieth Worldwide Exhibition of Innovations Geneva 2025, together with the Saudi Innovation Excellence Prize and two Gold Medals, one in every of which got here with Congratulations of the Jury.
Influenza stays a significant respiratory illness, which locations a heavy burden on well being care methods worldwide. Vaccination is probably the most environment friendly approach to stop and management influenza. Present seasonal influenza vaccines, nevertheless, defend primarily towards three chosen strains and require annual updates. Their efficacy can considerably decline if the circulating viruses don’t match the strains chosen annually for every hemisphere.
These vaccines additionally fail to protect towards human infections brought on by animal influenza viruses, comparable to avian strains, which pose a possible international pandemic menace. The World Well being Group (WHO) has underscored the pressing want for a brand new technology of common influenza vaccines.
The analysis workforce developed two progressive approaches to create next-generation LAIVs. The primary technique concerned inserting a human α-1,3-galactosyltransferase gene into the genome of a human influenza virus. This modification prompts contaminated host cells to specific the α-Gal epitopes on their floor. Since people naturally produce anti-α-Gal antibodies, this may permit preexisting antibodies to acknowledge cells contaminated by the vaccine, thereby enhancing vaccine-induced immune responses, together with antibody-mediated cytotoxicity, opsonization and phagocytosis.
The analysis information confirmed that the vaccine is attenuated and isn’t pathogenic in mouse fashions. In experiments, vaccinated mice confirmed robust innate and adaptive immune responses, together with antibody and T-cell responses. These immune responses conferred broad safety towards numerous influenza A virus subtypes, together with human H1N1 and H3N2, and avian H5N1 strains.
The second method to growing next-generation LAIVs concerned introducing lots of of silent mutations to a human influenza virus, shifting its codon utilization from that of a human influenza virus to that of an avian influenza virus-like sample. This shift resulted within the attenuation of the virus in mammalian cells, making it secure to be used as an LAIV. Moreover, the mutant virus replicated completely in rooster eggs, which is essential for present efficient vaccine manufacturing processes.
With this method, the viral protein expression of the LAIV remained equivalent to the unique wildtype virus, offering a sturdy immune response towards the viruses. The analysis workforce efficiently generated a number of attenuated viruses with totally different human influenza virus backbones, together with H1N1 and H3N2.
The outcomes of in vitro and in vivo experiments confirmed that these viruses have been attenuated in mammalian hosts. They’ll thus be used as LAIVs to guard vaccinated mice from totally different subtypes of influenza A virus an infection, together with the human H1N1 and H3N2 viruses, in addition to the avian H5N1 and H7N9 influenza viruses.
The event of those two award-winning LAIVs represents a big development within the quest for broadly protecting and environment friendly influenza vaccines. This new technology of LAIVs can each defend people from seasonal influenza viruses and deal with the menace posed by rising viruses, like avian influenza viruses.
“The benefits of LAIVs lie of their intranasal administration, which has been proven to induce mucosal immune responses alongside the respiratory tract, offering further safety towards an infection,” stated Professor Leo Poon Lit-man, Chair Professor of Public Well being Virology and Head of the Division of Public Well being Laboratory Sciences, College of Public Well being, HKUMed. “This needle-free supply methodology alleviates the concern of vaccination, notably in younger kids, so it is going to assist mitigate vaccine hesitancy.”
These scientific breakthroughs symbolize a promising step in direction of a future through which influenza vaccines can supply complete safety towards a big selection of viral threats. Shifting ahead, the analysis workforce will leverage the worldwide platform of the Hong Kong Jockey Membership World Well being Institute (HKJCGHI) for additional improvement, guaranteeing continued progress and making a world impression on this very important space.
“Each HKUMed and the Worldwide Vaccine Institute (IVI), one of many collaborators of the HKJCGHI, have initiated discussions and contributed mental enter in direction of the vaccine improvement,” stated Professor Leo Poon Lit-man, who can be the Co-Director of HKJCGHI. “It’s anticipated that within the close to future, additional research, together with analysis work adhering to Good Laboratory Follow (GLP) requirements, might be performed by means of the sources of the Institute.”
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Needle-free, live-attenuated influenza vaccines with broad safety towards human and avian virus subtypes (2025, Might 9)
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