Science
British scientists have found that some people are naturally resistant to all strains of the influenza virus, and this knowledge will help create a universal flu vaccine.
During the study, researchers infected 41 healthy volunteers with different strains of the influenza virus and found that some participants had higher levels of a specific type of white blood cell a severe form of the disease developed less often.
The researchers hope to replicate the natural resistance of some volunteers by creating a vaccine that increases the levels of a specific subset of T cells.
These cells, discovered by researchers at the University of Oxford and Southampton, are able to identify proteins called peptides that are found inside virtually all influenza viruses.
This is the first study that has been able to clearly identify people's immune response by infecting them and quarantining them under sterile conditions.
Scientists have said that they will be able to expand the T-cell population in humans using the vaccine, and this will protect us from all strains of the influenza virus.
Several organizations around the world are trying to create a universal flu vaccine, realizing the impending threat of mutation in the H5N1 avian influenza strain and its potential to spread from person to person.
However, many are trying to identify antibodies that bind to relatively unchanged sites on the virus, rather than the body's cellular response. Existing flu vaccines are effective for only a few seasons because viruses mutate rapidly.