万能インフルエンザワクチン / Universal Flu Vaccine

日本語

こんちゃっす、私です。

毎年新しく流行るものといえば、ファッション、スイーツ、お笑い芸人、そしてインフルエンザ。

ということで、今日はインフルエンザです。

なぜ毎年異なるインフルエンザワクチンが必要なんでしょう。

同じワクチンが使うことが出来れば、開発費用が不要となり、対応も速くなり、インフルエンザによって死亡する人は激減するはずです。

答えは、インフルエンザウイルスの変異です。

このウイルスの変異ですが、ウイルス全体を細かく見ていくと変異する場所、しない場所が分かってきました。

この「変異しない場所」を利用した万能インフルエンザワクチンが現在開発中です。

現在臨床試験中ということで、近い将来画期的な薬として皆さんも使うことになるかもしれません。

English

Each year, new flu vaccine is developed for a new type of of influenza virus.

Why?

There are four branches of influenza virus that are changing: two influenza A strains and two B strains. As a result of this constant change, each year there is a different influenza vaccine, containing either three or four comonents; and every year, at least one will change.

 What if a new type of vaccine, universal vaccine which deals with every type of infuenza viruses, available?

Actually, this novel vaccine is now studied in phase I/II clinical trials.

How does this vaccine work? How does it protect against a virus that doesn't yet exist?

Accorindg to a resercher Garcia-Sastre, current vaccine is actually able to induce response to the variable regions of the virus; however, there are other parts of the structure of the viruses that remain unchanged or conserved. This universal vaccine targets this conserved areas.

The flu virus looks like a ball covered with little mushrooms sprouting all over it. These mushroom-shaped proteins are called hemagglutinin, which helps the virus particle bind to and fuse with the targeted human cells. 

The humagglutinin has a head (changeable and variable) and a stalk (stable). 

Yes, the new vaccine targets this stalk area.

How close is this universal flu vaccine becoming reality?

Our initial findings are promising, but we still need to conduct phase II and phase III trials. Hopefully, the vaccine could be ready in five years.

The Universal Flu Shot Moves Within Reach - Scientific American