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Return of inactivated whole‐virus vaccine for superior efficacy
Author(s) -
Furuya Yoichi
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
immunology and cell biology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.999
H-Index - 104
eISSN - 1440-1711
pISSN - 0818-9641
DOI - 10.1038/icb.2011.70
Subject(s) - virology , virus , pandemic , outbreak , influenza vaccine , immunity , reverse vaccinology , biology , influenza a virus , immune system , immunology , vaccination , dna vaccination , epitope , medicine , antibody , immunization , covid-19 , infectious disease (medical specialty) , disease , pathology
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.