Description
Scientists are developing a universal flu vaccine. A brand new vaccine against seasonal flu has to be created once a year for both the northern and southern hemispheres. The constant and rapid evolution of the virus means an effective vaccine this year, can be useless by the next.
Scientists in Belgium are determined to beat the virus by producing a vaccine that works long-term, against many types of flu, including pandemic strains.
Professor Saelens and his colleagues have pinpointed a small part of the flu virus that doesn’t adapt and doesn’t mutate. It’s a tiny protein that lies just below the surface, a constant, fixed target for a vaccine.
The team has been able to generate molecules of DNA relating to the protein they are targeting and implant them into these simple bacteria. The bacteria are easy to store safely and can be grown as needed to make the vaccine.
Since the vaccine production process would not have to change each year, in the long run, it would be more straightforward – and cheaper.
Some scientists don’t agree that targeting such a small protein is the way forward. But so far, the results have been positive. But to prove the vaccine’s effectiveness, tests need to be done on a much larger scale and over several flu seasons. This will be expensive.
Despite this, Professor Saelens is convinced this method holds the key to the elusive enduring flu vaccine.
ABOUT SWPictures: SWPictures is a London-based producer and distributor of documentaries and short films. With more than 30-years in the business, SWPictures has worked with some of the world’s leading broadcasters such as the BBC, CBC, C4 and PBS in the production and distribution of hundreds of films. We hate to see films shown once and forgotten – which is why we’ve become pioneers in niche marketing. Our videos are used by millions of students worldwide as education tools and at parliamentary hearings to change government policies. They have played at international film festivals and some have been theatrically released, but they are generally hard to see. The films are available on a pay-by-view basis.