The Super-Antibody That Could Save You From Annual Flu Shots

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An annual flu shot will no longer be necessary if doctors are correct in their predictions for the newly discovered “super-antibody.” Just imagine never having to stand in those long lines again.

According to a study published in the Science journal, an antibody called FI6 was able to attack groups 1 and 2 of the influenza A virus. New vaccines for the seasonal flu come out every year, but none of them have ever been able to fight off both groups. Therefore, doctors predict that this antibody will allow them to create a universal, long-term vaccine within the next five years.

Director of the National Institutes of Health Dr. Francis Collins is optimistic about the development of the long-term treatment. The idea seemed impossible just a few years back, considering how quickly the flu virus is able to mutate into new strains, but these new results look promising.

During the study, doctors screened 100,000 white blood cells from eight volunteers and found this antibody in only one of the donors. When the antibody was injected into mice and ferrets, the animals were protected from doses of influenza that would typically be lethal.

Although the individual did not produce enough of the “super-antibody” to be immune to influenza, doctors plan to mass produce it in order to create a treatment that will prevent influenza A infection as well as prevent any new pandemics.

Most existing vaccines target proteins inside the virus, which eventually causes it to mutate. Therefore, the goal is to use this treatment to attack the parts of the viral coat that don’t change. If possible, that will eliminate the need for new vaccines every year.

A universal flu treatment would be a tremendous accomplishment in the medical world. More than 200,000 people in the U.S. are hospitalized every year because of the seasonal flu. Thousands have died.

Some doctors think that a goal five years might be a little too ambitious, but further experimentation and research could prove them wrong.