On the Path Toward a Universal Influenza Vaccine

In a placebo-controlled trial, immunization against various hemagglutinin head and stalk domains yielded a lasting, protective antibody against the stalk domain.

Inactivated influenza vaccines target the head domain of the viral hemagglutinin (HA), a highly mutable region that allows the virus to escape neutralization through antigenic drift. The HA stalk domain is more conserved but, due to the immunodominance of the head region, does not induce a strong antibody response. A recently developed strategy to induce an antibody response to the stalk relies on chimeric HA (cHA): after first immunizing with a cHA with defined head and stalk domains, a booster with cHA having a different head but the same stalk domain will result in antibody production against the stalk domain. This approach has now been studied in humans.

In a randomized, placebo-controlled trial involving 65 adults, one group received a …

Reviewing Author

Neil M. Ampel, MD

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Editorial BoardsUpToDate

Leadership Positions in Professional SocietiesCoccidioidomycosis Study Group (Past President, Secretary, Treasurer)

Neil M. Ampel, MD

Disclosures

Editorial BoardsUpToDate

Leadership Positions in Professional SocietiesCoccidioidomycosis Study Group (Past President, Secretary, Treasurer)

On the Path Toward a Universal Influenza Vaccine

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Reviewing Author