February 22, 2009

expert comments on research into influenza antibody, as published in Nature Structural and Molecular Biology

Researchers in the United States have identified several antibodies capable of neutralising most influenza strains that affect humans, raising the possibility of a ‘universal’ therapy that could treat every type of flu.

Prof Peter Openshaw, Director, Centre for Respiratory Infection, National Heart & Lung Institute, Imperial College London, said:

“They show that is it possible to make neutralising, protective antibody to the stalk region of the influenza coat protein (HA) that is normally not seen by antibody induced by vaccination or infection. Surprisingly, this antibody has broad protective effects against strains of influenza as different as Spanish flu (H1N1) and avian flu (H5N1).

“It is a very interesting finding. I don’t think it’s realistic at the moment to imagine making this antibody as a treatment (I think it would cost about £10,000 per month to protect an adult), but the fact that it is possible for antibodies to be so broad in effect raises the possibility that a vaccine could be made that would make this sort of antibody, and so work from one year to the next and would work against as yet undiscovered or yet to be formed types of flu.

“If so, we could imagine a vaccine that works against all winter flu strains and also protects against unknown future pandemics. That would be a major breakthrough.”