A new approach for immunizing against influenza¹ elicited² a more potent³ immune response and broader protection than the currently licensed⁴ seasonal⁵ influenza vaccines⁷ when tested in mice and ferrets（雪貂，白鼬）. The vaccine⁶ concept, which was developed by scientists at the National Institute of Allergy⁸ and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), represents an important step forward in the quest to develop a universal influenza vaccine -- one that would protect against most or all influenza strains without the need for an annual vaccination⁹. The scientists designed an experimental vaccine featuring the protein ferritin（铁蛋白）, which can self-assemble into microscopic¹⁰ pieces called nanoparticles, as a key component¹¹. Ferritin was fused genetically¹² with hemagglutinin（血球凝集素） (HA), the protein found on the surface of the influenza virus, resulting in a nanoparticle with eight protruding¹³ viral spikes¹⁴. Using this as the basis for the vaccine antigen, the researchers created an experimental vaccine using HA from a 1999 strain of H1N1 influenza virus and evaluated its ability to stimulate¹⁵ an immune response in mice. A single dose of the experimental vaccine both with and without the use of an adjuvant triggered an immune response in the mice comparable to two doses of the currently licensed seasonal influenza vaccine. The experimental vaccine was also active against a wider range of H1N1 influenza virus strains than the licensed vaccine.

 

The researchers also tested the experimental vaccine's ability to protect ferrets from infection with a 2007 strain of H1N1 influenza virus -- a strain it had not been specifically designed to prevent. One day after exposure to the virus, ferrets that had received the experimental vaccine had significantly lower influenza virus levels than those that were not immunized. According to the study authors, the novel vaccine concept works by stimulating¹⁶ antibodies that hitch¹⁷ themselves to the parts of the influenza virus that stay consistent across different strains. Although further testing is needed, the HA-ferritin nanoparticle approach shows promise for development of more broadly protective vaccines for influenza as well as for other infectious diseases, the authors note.

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