Return of inactivated whole‐virus vaccine for superior efficacy

The swine, influenza, H1N1 outbreak in 2009 highlighted the inadequacy of the currently used antibody‐based vaccine strategies as a preventive measure for combating influenza pandemics. The ultimate goal for successful control of newly arising influenza outbreaks is to design a single‐shot vaccine that will provide long‐lasting immunity against all strains of influenza A virus. A large amount of data from animal studies has indicated that the cross‐reactive cytotoxic T (Tc) cell response against conserved influenza virus epitopes may be the key immune response needed for a universal influenza vaccine. However, decades of research have shown that the development of safe T‐cell‐based vaccines for influenza is not an easy task. Here, I discuss the overlooked but potentially highly advantageous inactivation method, namely, γ‐ray irradiation, as a mean to reach the Holy Grail of influenza vaccinology.