According to scientists, they are very close to making a drug that would provide protection against all known forms of flu. The vaccines that are used for protection against flu have to be changed every year as influenza virus shifts its target.
Fortunately, researchers at Imperial College London have developed a blueprint for a vaccine that would provide effective protection against flu. The virus influenza is so clever that it makes changes in the proteins on its surface just as easily as people change their clothes.
However, the material with which most strains of flu virus are made up of remains the same. This is what has helped the scientists to come up with a vaccine that is universal in nature. T-cells are a part of our immune system.
They are believed by scientists to be able to identify the core of a virus. Researchers at Imperial College made us of swine flu samples to test the authenticity of this theory. This new virus emerged from a blend of pig and bird flu. The outer part of this flu virus was new but the inner core remained the same as encountered by the scientists in other kinds of flu.
The researchers started by comparing the levels of these T-cells in 342 cases of flu in students and staff members. This study revealed that patients having a higher levels of these T-cells experienced milder symptoms of flu. The scientists then screened out specific T-cells that were involved in fighting with the virus and moved ahead to make the vaccine with these cells.
Scientists say they have identified the core of the flu virus and the exact T-cells of the immune system that attacks flu virus. This knowledge will help in the development of a universal flu vaccine. This may take up to 5 years from now.
