Synthetic DNA vaccine effective against influenza A virus subtype that is responsible for more severe influenza seasons

Currently available vaccines for the prevention of seasonal influenza virus infection have limited ability to induce immunity against diverse H3N2 viruses, an influenza A subtype that has led to high morbidity and mortality in recent years. Now, Wistar scientists have engineered a synthetic DNA vaccine shown to produce broad immune responses against these H3N2 viruses. Study results were published online in the journal Human Gene Therapy. The recent severe influenza seasons in 2013/2014, 2014/2015 and 2017/2018 can be directly attributed to H3N2. Commercial vaccine efficacy against H3N2 in 2017/2018 was low and contributed to a greater rate of pneumonia and influenza-associated deaths. “Current vaccine design and manufacturing to meet the antigenic diversity of H3N2 viruses is challenging, and with another flu season approaching there remains a pressing need for new vaccine approaches for influenza,” said lead researcher David B. Weiner, Ph.D., executive vice president and director of the Vaccine & Immunotherapy Center at...