A team of researchers at Stanford University has developed a potential universal vaccine that could protect against all coughs, colds, and flus, as well as bacterial lung infections, according to a study published in the journal Science.
The researchers, led by Prof Bali Pulendran, have tested their vaccine in animals and found that it can provide a 100-to-1,000-fold reduction in viruses getting through the lungs and into the body. The vaccine, given as a nasal spray, leaves white blood cells in the lungs on "amber alert" and ready to jump into action no matter what infection tries to get in.
The team's approach marks a "radical departure" from the way vaccines have been designed for more than 200 years, as it does not train the immune system to fight a specific infection, but rather mimics the way immune cells communicate with each other.
Expert Reaction
Experts in the field, including Prof Daniela Ferreira of the University of Oxford, have described the study as "really exciting" and a potential "major step forward" in protecting people from common coughs, colds, and other respiratory infections.
However, the researchers acknowledge that there are still many questions to answer, including whether the vaccine can be effective in humans and how long the immune system would stay in an "amber alert" state.
Next Steps
The researchers are planning trials where one person is vaccinated and then deliberately infected to see how their body copes. They also plan to investigate the potential consequences of dialling up the immune system beyond its normal state.
As reported by the BBC, the research team believes that such a vaccine could be used to complement rather than replace current vaccines, and could potentially be used to buy time and save lives during the early stages of a pandemic.
