Scientists at the University of California, Riverside and Georgia Institute of Technology have made significant strides in developing new RNA-based vaccine strategies that could potentially offer broad protection against various strains of viruses, including influenza and SARS-CoV-2. These vaccines target a common part of the viral genome that is consistent across different strains, eliminating the need for annual updates.
The researchers' findings were published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences and Nature Communications, respectively. According to UCR virologist Rong Hai and Georgia Tech researcher Ravi Kane, these vaccines could be a game-changer in preventing viral outbreaks by providing immunity against multiple strains.
Traditional vaccines rely on dead or modified live versions of a virus to stimulate an immune response. However, these new RNA-based strategies do not rely on the traditional immune response or active proteins, making them safer for babies and immunocompromised individuals.
The researchers' findings also indicate that viruses suppress the host's RNA interference (RNAi) response to replicate successfully. The new vaccine approach targets this RNAi suppression by viruses, weakening their ability to infect cells and boosting the body's natural RNAi immune system.
The potential universal vaccines have shown promising results in mice experiments, with both T and B cells responding effectively to the virus. However, more research is needed before these vaccines can be tested on humans.
These developments come as SARS-CoV-2 continues to evolve into new variants, such as Omicron BA.4 and BA.5, and XBB.1.5, which have shown resistance to current vaccines.
The researchers' work could lead to the development of a universal vaccine for various viruses, including influenza and SARS-CoV-2.
