# 1441
The last 24 hour news cycle has been filled with stories about a new vaccine that - according to some headline writers- will deliver us from the jaws of a pandemic.
Here are just a few of the headlines:
Flu vaccine could save us The Courier-Mail
New flu vaccine could conquer pandemics The Times
Vaccine to combat all types of flu 'by 2011' Telegraph.co.uk
Single flu inoculation could give lifelong protection Kuwait News Agency
So . . . are we saved? Can we quit worrying about a pandemic?
First one of the articles, then some discussion.
January 4, 2008
New vaccinations give scientists hope of conquering flu pandemic
(PASIEKA/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY)
Computer artwork of part of the surface of a virus particle of the influenza (flu) virus.
Nigel Hawkes, Health Editor
A vaccine that could help to control a flu pandemic has shown encouraging results in its first human trials.
The vaccine, made by Acambis, based in Cambridge, should protect against all strains of influenza A, the type responsible for pandemics. Unlike existing vaccines it does not have to be reformulated each year to match the prevalent strains of flu, so it could be stockpiled and used as soon as a pandemic strain emerges. Nor does it need to be grown on fertilised chicken eggs, as the existing vaccines do, but can be produced by cell culture.
The results, announced yesterday by Acambis, show that in human volunteers the Acam-Flu-A vaccine was safe and produced an immune response against its target, a small protein (peptide) called M2e that is found on the surface of all A-strains of the flu virus. The vaccine was also tested on ferrets, which are commonly used in flu research because they are susceptible to human and bird flu.
The ferrets were divided into two groups and either vaccinated with the new vaccine or left unvaccinated. They were then exposed to a large dose of the H5N1 bird flu that has killed millions of chickens and more than 200 people across Asia since 2003. All the unvaccinated ferrets died, but 70 per cent of the vaccinated ones survived.
<snip>
The company identified a peptide, M2e, on the surface of all A-strains and developed a vaccine that targeted it. When an individual is vaccinated the vaccine teaches the immune system to recognise and be alert to the peptide so that as soon as flu arrives the body’s protective systems swing into action against it. To improve the vaccine’s effectiveness, it was combined in the trial with adjuvants, chemicals that ginger up the immune system and improve its ability to learn. The adjuvant called QS-21, made by Antigenics, proved to be the best. When this was added, 90 per cent of those vaccinated had antibodies against the M2e peptide.
Michael Watson, the executive vice-president for research and development at Acambis, said: “If there was an immediate threat of pandemic flu, it would be possible to complete the trials and market the vaccine within three years. Without such a threat, it will likely take longer, perhaps five years.
A universal flu vaccine has been the holy grail for many researchers for years. And now, by targeting an area of the influenza virus that doesn't change every year, that goal appears within reach.
But it is still 3 to 5 years away. And that assumes that everything goes perfectly with the remainder of the trials.
While early trials have indicated that 90% of those inoculated (with the added adjuvant) showed an immune response, how that will translate in actual practice to providing immunity is unknown.
These early studies are encouraging, however.
The bottom line is that in 3 to 5 years we might have an effective universal vaccine. Of course, having one, and delivering one to 6.6 billion people are two separate matters.
The logistics of inoculating billions of people are a major bottleneck. And questions of costs, and potential side effects, and effectiveness remain unanswered.
Still, this is encouraging news. As long as you take the long view. A universal vaccine does appear to be within our grasp.
Whether that will happen soon enough to stave off the next pandemic?
Well, your guess is as good as mine.
