Providing Immunity Against Divergent Strains of Influenza

SLU ID 16-019 | Peptides for Inducing Heterosubtypic Influenza T Cell Response

Background

Influenza is estimated to kill 250,000 to 500,000 people each year. Severe pandemics can occur when new strains evolve that have not circulated in humans previously. Because of the high viral mutation rate in hemagglutinin, the target for conventional vaccines, new influenza vaccines must be generated annually based on the prevalence of circulating strains. Reformulated influenza vaccines are effective, but only when well-matched with circulating viruses. Influenza vaccines that induce greater cross-protective immunity are urgently needed.

Overview

Researchers at Saint Louis Univeristy have demonstrated that vaccines incorporating the conserved influenza T cell epitopes are immunogenic and provide protection against diverse influenza A strains in mice expressing human MHC. They have identified 31 putative CD8 epitopes restricted by the major class I supertype HLA A2 and 25 putative promiscuous CD4 immunogenic consensus sequences (ICS).

Benefits

The potential benefits of this technology include:

• increasing the efficacy of influenza vaccines

• increasing cross-protective immunity

Applications

The potential applications of this technology include:

• preventing influenza

Opportunity

Saint Louis University is seeking a partner to further develop and commercialize this technology.