Combining Epitope-Based Vaccine Design with Informatics-Based Evaluation to Obtain a Universal Influenza Vaccine

Overview

In response to the 100-year anniversary of the 1918 influenza pandemic, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) issued a Grand Challenge to identify novel and transformative approaches that will accelerate the development of universal flu vaccines. Leveraging novel strategies that were successfully employed in the development of HIV vaccine candidates, this project aims to develop a universal flu vaccine for all strains of flu—including all currently circulating strains and those that emerge in the future. The universal epitope-based flu vaccine involves attaching antibodies to cell antigen molecules, called epitopes, which produce an immune response to invading pathogens in the individual. When developed, this universal vaccine will protect people of all ages against influenza for three or more years after vaccination, dramatically reducing the frequency of flu shots while increasing protection. Scientists from NIAID’s Vaccine Research Center and Columbia University are collaborating to combine expertise in molecular virology, structural biology, and human clinical studies to identify and implement transformative concepts in vaccine development. Success in this endeavor has the potential to save hundreds of millions of lives during the next flu pandemic.