Next-generation vaccine candidates protect against multiple strains of influenza and last longer

Recent preclinical results indicate novel next-generation vaccine candidates developed at Cleveland Clinic protect against multiple strains of influenza and last longer than vaccines currently in use. The vaccines are part of Cleveland Clinic’s global vaccine research program, led by Ted Ross, PhD, Global Director of Vaccine Development at Cleveland Clinic. Published in Scientific Reports, the study credits the preclinical success of the influenza B vaccines to novel technology called Computationally Optimized Broadly Reactive Antigens (COBRAs). Current vaccines use small, non-infectious parts of the virus or bacterium called antigens to train the immune system against infection. Keeping that immunity current can require yearly updates as the pathogen mutates, like for the flu vaccine. COBRAs are antigens designed to train the immune system’s response more broadly to anticipate any changes. Further complicating the issue, a strain can mutate into multiple variants, and multiple strains of the same virus can break out at the same time....