Oregon researchers narrow on path to universal flu vaccine

January 28, 2025

1997 electron micrograph image of bird flu

(Axios) – Researchers at Oregon Health & Science University are working on a novel approach to influenza vaccination that could provide broad protection against multiple strains — including the H5N1 bird flu virus — without the yearly injection. The big picture: The way flu vaccines are made today can be a game of whack-a-mole, constantly trying to keep up with rapidly mutating strains that are able to change the way they look on the outside to evade the immune system.

But by harnessing “killer T cells,” OHSU hopes the vaccine it is developing will provide lifetime protection against all influenza with just one shot, lead researcher Jonah Sacha told Axios. (Read More)