Study Links Ethnic Background To Immune Response To Flu Vaccine

According to a new study, ethnic background and other inherited factors influence how well a flu shot protects people from the virus.

Researchers published their findings in a report by Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. The research team has been led by Wayne Marasco, MD, PhD, a cancer immunologist and virologist at Dana-Farber. Scientists have found that in a key immune system gene ethnicity influences on genetic variation. This determines how many antibodies are generated against the common influenza A virus.

New tools for predicting how different populations and individuals will respond to influenza vaccines can be developed based on the results of this new study, according to a report in the Nature journal, Scientific Reports. These insights could also lead to developing "universal" vaccines against a wide variety of flu strains, able to provide multi-year protection. According to Marasco, the results of the new study will change the medical community's understanding on how to achieve responsiveness for an universal vaccine in a certain population.

The research focused on variations in IGHV1-69. This is one of around 50 genes with role in fighting infections by making millions of protein antibodies. The antibodies have the role to patrol the body and recognize on the surface of virus particles certain identifying molecules. After recognizing viruses, "neutralizing" antibodies will block them.

According to EurekAlert!, because antibodies generated by the IGHV1-69 gene bind to the "stem" of a protein called hemagglutinin, on the flu virus' surface, these antibodies could be useful in developing universal flu vaccines. In current vaccines after the immune system recognize the "head" of the hemagglutinin protein, the flu virus escape the vaccine because it is rapidly shape-shifts this region from year to year.

A vaccine based on the stem could be more efficient because this part is less susceptible to change. Developing vaccines based on the IGHV1-69 genes might offer long-term protection against many flu strains.