Researchers test mRNA technology for universal flu vaccine


FILE PHOTO: People enter a pharmacy next to a sign promoting flu shots in New York January 10, 2013. REUTERS/Andrew Kelly/File Photo

(Reuters) - An experimental vaccine provided broad protection against all 20 known influenza A and B virus subtypes in initial tests in mice and ferrets, potentially opening a pathway to a universal flu shot that might help prevent future pandemics, according to a U.S. study published on Thursday.

The two-dose vaccine employs the same messenger RNA (mRNA)technology used in the COVID-19 shots developed by Pfizer with BioNTech, and by Moderna. It delivers tiny lipid particles containing mRNA instructions for cells to create replicas of so-called hemagglutinin proteins that appear on influenza virus surfaces.

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