Influenza Cure?
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The reason current vaccines are only effective for a short period of time is that the antibodies tend to break down, making additional injections necessary. But a new approach, using the gene-editing tool known as CRISPR, could someday make people immune to the flu, requiring antibodies to be injected only once.
The technique involves editing the DNA of B cells – the white blood cells in the human immune system that are responsible for creating antibodies. In an initial study on 15 mice, the method provided a full 82 days of protection against a virus known as RSV (Respiratory Syncytial Virus) – the most common cause of bronchiolitis and pneumonia in children.
In addition to RSV and influenza, the researchers believe that the modified B cells could be programmed to fight other diseases as well, including human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and Epstein-Barr virus (EBV). Although much research remains to be done, such a breakthrough could prevent thousands of hospital visits, deaths and disabilities each year.
For information: Howell Moffett, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, 1100 Fairview Avenue, N. Seattle, WA 98109; email: hmoffett@fredhutch.org; website: http://www.fredhutch.org/en.html or https://www.biorxiv.org/content/biorxiv/early/2019/02/06/541979.full.pdf