Clues that could lead to a universal flu jab honoured
A study which has found a way to develop a universal vaccine for influenza, one that
gives people immunity against all strains of the disease, has been recognised by the
European Respiratory Society (ERS) and gained its lead researcher a prestigious
award.
Dr Tom Wilkinson, Senior Lecturer in Respiratory Medicine and Associate Director
of Innovation and Enterprise at the University of Southampton, was awarded the
Maurizio Vignola Award for Innovation in Pneumology by the ERS, following the
publication of his paper in Nature Medicine.
The research, which involved researchers from University of Southampton,
University of Oxford and Retroscreeen Virology Ltd, used a method called “Human
Viral Challenge Studies” and discovered that the immune systems produced various
types of T-cells (part of the immune system that kills both viral particles, and cells
infected with viral particles). Notably, the T-cells responded to peptides associated
with the internal structures of the influenza viruses.
Unlike the external structures of influenza virus, that mutates very rapidly and
creates a new strain of virus most years, the internal structures change very slowly
over a long period of time. These internal structures are found in all strains of
influenza virus – thus, a vaccine that targets such peptides may provide immunity
against all strains of influenza, including seasonal (yearly), avian (bird), and swine
flu, for many years.
A vaccine against these peptides would activate the T-cell immune response – which
is able to respond much more rapidly than vaccines that activate an antibody
response.
The Maurizio Vignola Award for Innovation in Pneumology, recognises scientists for
their outstanding contribution in the field of respiratory medicine. The winner
receives €18,000 in order to investigate further the subject of the winning
publication.
Dr Wilkinson, who is also Respiratory Consultant at Southampton General Hospital,
comments: “I am delighted to receive such a commendation from the ERS; it is a
great honour. Influenza is a virus that we know has a global impact, and the threat of
further pandemics is a real one. Most influenza vaccines only protect us against
known influenza strains by creating antibodies in the blood, but the influenza virus
has the ability to rapidly change itself and new strains can emerge, which rapidly
spread across the globe by escaping this immunity.
“We have found that there is an important role for T-cells that recognise the flu virus,
which if harnessed could protect against most or even all strains of seasonal and
pandemic flu. Through this discovery and the impact of receiving this prestigious
award from the ERS, we hope to improve vaccines for future strains of influenza; and
potentially protect against the next pandemic. However there is more to do to
translate these findings into new approaches to treatment.”
This is not the first time the ERS has recognised Dr Wilkinson’s achievements – he
won the ERS COPD Award in 2005, and won Best COPD Abstract and a COPD travel
grant in earlier years.
ENDS
Notes to Editors
1. A high resolution photo of Dr Wilkinson is available from Media Relations
upon request.
2. Dr Wilkinson’s paper is entitled “Preexisting influenza-specific CD4+ T cells
correlate with disease protection against influenza challenge in humans”. It
is available from Media Relations upon request.
3. The research used a method known as “Human Viral Challenge Studies”,
where healthy volunteers are infected with influenza virus, and their immune
responses closely monitored in an isolation unit. These were important to the
research as they allowed the healthy volunteers to be held in “sterile” isolation
conditions and ensured they had no existing infections. The volunteers were
then “challenged” with influenza virus, with blood samples being taken at
regular intervals to observe how their immune systems responded to the viral
infection.
4. The University of Southampton is a leading UK teaching and research
institution with a global reputation for leading-edge research and scholarship
across a wide range of subjects in engineering, science, social sciences, health
and humanities.
With over 23,000 students, around 5000 staff, and an annual turnover well in
excess of £435 million, the University of Southampton is acknowledged as one
of the country's top institutions for engineering, computer science and
medicine. We combine academic excellence with an innovative and
entrepreneurial approach to research, supporting a culture that engages and
challenges students and staff in their pursuit of learning.
The University is also home to a number of world-leading research centres
including the Institute of Sound and Vibration Research, the Optoelectronics
Research Centre, the Web Science Trust and Doctoral training Centre, the
Centre for the Developmental Origins of Health and Disease, the
Southampton Statistical Sciences Research Institute and is a partner of the
National Oceanography Centre at the Southampton waterfront campus.
For further information contact: