LINCOLN- A new vaccine strategy developed and tested by a team from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln could signal an end to the annual flu shot routine. The possible breakthrough is laid out in newly published research in Nature Communications. The study, “Epitope-Optimized Vaccine Elicits Cross-Species Immunity Against Influenza A Virus,” describes a vaccine that protects against H1N1 swine flu and can also protect against influenza in birds and humans.

“This research sets the stage for developing universal influenza vaccines so people won’t have to go to the doctor and get a flu shot every year,” said Eric Weaver, director of the Nebraska Center for Virology, who led the Nebraska research team. “This vaccine will protect you against the different strains that are out there.”

According to a UNL news release, swine vaccinated with immunogens designed in Weaver’s lab showed no signs of illness after being exposed to a commonly circulating flu strain. They developed antibodies against multiple viruses from several decades and several species and maintained their immune response throughout the six-month study. Based on the study results, Weaver said that immunity in pigs could last at least a decade. “We hope that would translate into humans,” he said.

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