AI Article Synopsis
- The influenza A virus was first isolated in 1931, leading to early vaccine development efforts, but seasonal vaccines are ineffective against unpredictable pandemic strains.
- Vaccination remains the best defense against influenza, yet it takes about six months to create a vaccine after a new virus is identified, highlighting the need for timely solutions.
- Researchers are exploring M2e, a conservative region of the virus's M2 protein, as a potential target for a universal vaccine that could provide broader protection against various influenza strains.
Article Abstract
The influenza A virus was isolated for the first time in 1931, and the first attempts to develop a vaccine against the virus began soon afterwards. In addition to causing seasonal epidemics, influenza viruses can cause pandemics at random intervals, which are very hard to predict. Vaccination is the most effective way of preventing the spread of influenza infection. However, seasonal vaccination is ineffective against pandemic influenza viruses because of antigenic differences, and it takes approximately six months from isolation of a new virus to develop an effective vaccine. One of the possible ways to fight the emergence of pandemics may be by using a new type of vaccine, with a long and broad spectrum of action. The extracellular domain of the M2 protein (M2e) of influenza A virus is a conservative region, and an attractive target for a universal influenza vaccine. This review gives a historical overview of the study of M2 protein, and summarizes the latest developments in the preparation of M2e-based universal influenza vaccines.
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Source |
|---|---|
| http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6800501 | PMC |
| http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s12929-019-0572-3 | DOI Listing |
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