Finding a way to prevent influenza does not need a vaccine

Scientists believe that they have discovered a way to activate a natural reaction in the body, able to fight off the flu virus without using vaccines.

How to prevent the flu from using vaccines

New prevention methods do not require the use of viruses (in vaccines) or interferon - a powerful anti-inflammatory agent. Test results on both cells of mice and humans reveal, manipulating the body to produce a special protein can reduce the severity of the flu and ultimately prevent the infection from speaking. general.

The newly discovered method promises to help people eliminate flu without using vaccines.(Artwork: Corbis)

Because the method does not treat any influenza virus strain, researchers believe it is able to fight off all strains of influenza, including those that can trigger a pandemic.

Dr. Jacob Yount from Ohio University (USA), who led the study, said: "The flu vaccine needs to change every year, because the virus is constantly changing. What we are doing is targeting. a more basic process, not separate for any particular virus strain ".

After the discovery, changing the role of a protein in cells that could prevent influenza viruses from developing, Dr. Yount and colleagues began to use experimental drugs to test their flu strategy on mice. . According to Mr. Yount, it will take years for the method to be applied to humans, but their long-term goal is to develop a method to prevent flu-free infections.

The researchers added that their method involves increasing the amount of a protein that has been shown to be effective against all tested strains of influenza. However, the key to preventing infection is to increase the content of that protein in the cells before the virus starts. Scientists have found that it is necessary to inhibit the function of another protein.

The effective protein in flu prevention is called IFITM3. Under natural conditions, this protein is produced in large amounts only after the influenza virus emerges, so that it can reduce the severity of the infection. However, how this protein attacks the virus, by capturing it and disabling its ability to make copies of itself, means that increasing its content before the flu appears will prevent it. infection.

IFITM3 has been very important for humans, because previous research has shown that it is the only identified protein containing a regular gene mutation that is associated with serious influenza infections.