The best way to combat influenza virus infection is to prevent it. However, the continual evolution of circulating influenza virus strains and the constant threat of newly emerging viruses forces the public health community to annually update seasonal influenza vaccines while stockpiling potential pandemic virus vaccines. Thus, there is an urgent need to develop a "universal" influenza vaccine ...

Introduction: In recent years, influenza viruses have caused moderate to severe infections all around the world while so far there is no influenza vaccine that can protect people with only one dose of injection. In this regard, producing a universal vaccine based on virus-like-particles (VLP) could be an ideal approach.  Methods: In this study, the full-length ORF of influenza hemagglutini...

Influenza virus surface glycoprotein hemagglutinin (HA) is an excellent and chief target that elicits neutralizing antibodies during vaccination or natural infection. Its HA2 subunit (stem domain) is most conserved as compared to HA1 subunit (globular head domain). Current influenza vaccine relies on globular head domain that provides protection only against the homologous vaccine strains, rare...

The development of vaccines has been one of the most important contributions of immunology to public health to date. Although several infectious diseases have all but vanished thanks to effective vaccines, the most common infectious disease, influenza, still represents a major threat to public health. This is more concerning than ever before in light of potentially virulent avian pandemic strai...

Currently licensed vaccines against the influenza A virus (IAV) need to be updated annually to match the constantly evolving antigenicity of the influenza virus glycoproteins, hemagglutinin (HA), and neuramidiase (NA). Attempts to develop universal vaccines that provide broad protection have resulted in some success. Herein, we have shown that a replication-deficient adenovirus expressing H5/M2...

Current influenza vaccines are ineffective against novel viruses and the source or the strain of the next outbreak of influenza is unpredictable; therefore, establishing universal immunity by vaccination to limit the impact of influenza remains a high priority. To meet this challenge, a novel vaccine has been developed using the immunogenic live vaccinia virus as a vaccine vector, expressing mu...

OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to estimate whether universal influenza vaccination of pregnant women was cost-effective in the management of influenza-like illness during influenza season. METHODS A decision analysis model was developed to investigate the cost-effectiveness of providing inactivated trivalent influenza vaccine to all pregnant women. This scenario was compared with pro...

The rapid dissemination of the 2009 pandemic influenza virus underscores the need for universal influenza vaccines that elicit protective immunity to diverse viral strains. Here, we show that vaccination with plasmid DNA encoding H1N1 influenza hemagglutinin (HA) and boosting with seasonal vaccine or replication-defective adenovirus 5 vector encoding HA stimulated the production of broadly neut...

Vaccination is one of the most effective and cost-benefit interventions that prevent the mortality and reduce morbidity from infectious pathogens. However, the licensed influenza vaccine induces strain-specific immunity and must be updated annually based on predicted strains that will circulate in the upcoming season. Influenza virus still causes significant health problems worldwide due to the...

We have been now experiencing the first pandemic in the 21st century by a 2009 novel influenza A (H1N1) virus infection. The use of effective vaccination is the most reliable prophylactic measures against influenza virus infection. Hemagglutinin (HA) of surface viral glycoproteins plays a principal role as immunogenecity induced by natural infection or vaccination in our bodies. A split-product...