Queenslanders to test universal flu vaccine as flu cases soar

Human trials are set to begin in Queensland to test an experimental broad-spectrum flu vaccine, which if effective could spell the end of annual flu vaccinations.

HUMAN trials are set to begin in Queensland to test an experimental broad-spectrum flu vaccine, designed to protect against all strains of the highly contagious virus.

If the vaccine proves effective, it could spell the end of annual flu vaccinations.

University of the Sunshine Coast Clinical Trials director Lucas Litewka said 2200 people were being recruited across Australia to test the universal flu vaccine, based on a compound developed by Oxford University’s Jenner Institute in the UK.

Qld flu cases running at almost three times five-year average

Trial recruitment comes amid a bad start to the flu season, with the number of cases in Queensland running at almost three times the five-year average for this time of year.

The latest Queensland Health figures show more than 6600 confirmed cases of the virus so far this year, with 583 people having to be admitted to public hospitals, including 50 requiring intensive care treatment.

More than 6200 of the cases have been influenza A, described by Queensland Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young as the flu type with the worst outcomes.

Dr Nova Evans, of the University of the Sunshine Coast, who is involved in a human trial of a universal flu vaccine.

As health authorities recommend Queenslanders to start booking in for the annual flu shot to protect themselves from the potentially deadly virus, Mr Litewka said researchers hoped the new jab would one day allow people to be vaccinated much less frequently.

“The hope is that this will allow people to get vaccinated against the flu once every 10 years or even less frequently,” he said. “That’s the thinking behind this vaccine.”

Mr Litewka said the experimental broad-spectrum vaccine worked differently from conventional flu vaccines, which target specific strains of the virus.

He said the experimental vaccine worked by boosting the body’s t cells, a type of immune cell.

The t cells are activated to fight the virus from the inside, rather than to target proteins on the outside of cells, which change as the flu mutates.

“The theory is that it doesn’t matter what the flu strain is, if you’re targeting the internal proteins, which are the same across all of the strains, you’ll eliminate the influenza before it spreads,” Mr Litewka explains.

He said participants in the trial will receive the annual flu shot before either being given the experimental universal flu jab, or a placebo.

Because the annual flu vaccine only contains three or four of the key strains circulating in a population – and people can still develop the flu if they are infected with a different strain – researchers will test the effectiveness of the experimental jab, by comparing it to the placebo.

If the vaccine proves effective, Mr Litewka said it could be on the market within five years.

He said people aged 18 and over were needed for the trial and the researchers particularly wanted to attract elderly participants to take part.

Those who meet the criteria will be reimbursed for their time.

Participants will need to attend a clinic at either Morayfield, north of Brisbane, or on the Sunshine Coast.

People interested in taking part in the trial can log onto: usc.edu.au/trials

Originally published as Queenslanders to test universal flu vaccine as flu cases soar