The idea of a universal flu vaccine has been around for awhile, and a recently discovered class of antibodies may be key for its development. Researchers at McMaster’s University and the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City suggest that such a vaccine could avoid problems seen with the seasonal flu vaccine, including the possibility of a mismatched vaccine. In theory, the universal flu vaccine would only be administered once and would provide protection against all strains of flu, even if they mutate.
The research team hopes that the universal flu vaccine will be ready in 5-7 years. Read more about the vaccine here.
