More effective flu vaccinations
Asst Prof Vijay Dhanasekaran (left) and Assoc Prof Gavin Smith at Duke-NUS led the breakthrough on the influenza B virus
Researchers at the Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School Singapore (Duke-NUS) have made a breakthrough on the pathogen that causes the seasonal flu, which may offer strategies for more effective flu vaccinations and management in the human population.
The impactful study was led by Assistant Professor Vijay Dhanasekaran and Associate Professor Gavin Smith, together with a group of international scientists under a collaboration between Duke-NUS and the Bioinformatics Institute at the Agency for Science, Technology and Research.
The team analysed 10 years' worth of data on human influenza B viruses, the largest comparative study on the topic, revealing how the two influenza B virus lineages differ from one another as well as from the two influenza A virus lineages. The two different lineages are named Victoria and Yamagata and all four lineages co-circulate in the human population to cause seasonal epidemics. However, most studies have typically focused on the influenza A virus lineages as they are more commonly circulated.
Findings were made using advanced computational methodologies to analyse genomic data taken from human hosts. In another first, the study also integrated other factors such as the host's age. This has important considerations as it paves the way for a more in-depth look at targeted flu vaccinations in different audiences.
Asst Prof Dhanasekaran explained: "Our research shows that school-aged children are more susceptible than adults to influenza B virus lineages, especially the Victoria lineage. This younger population should be targeted for the use of the quadrivalent influenza vaccines.
Quadrivalent influenza vaccines target all four lineages as compared to traditional vaccines which are composed of two influenza A lineages and only one influenza B lineage and are generally more inexpensive and easier to prepare. Going forward, there are hopes to better understand the underlying cause of differences with respect to such demographic indicators.
The team also alludes to the possibility of eradicating a flu lineage all together. "Since the influenza B Yamagata lineage is slow-evolving, we may be able to effectively eradicate it through the mass administration of the quadrivalent influenza vaccine, said Assoc Prof Smith. "This would then allow researchers to move forward by focusing on developing an effective trivalent influenza vaccine to target the remaining three lineages, resulting in more effective management of seasonal flu. This would no doubt present a welcome relief for regular victims of the seasonal flu.
Read the full study.
