Sam Brusco, Associate Editor11.26.18
Flu season has officially begun. Inevitably, any doctor or pharmacy visit taken over the past few weeks has included “have you gotten your flu shot yet?” somewhere in the dialogue.
Misconceptions about vaccines aside, certain scientific and timing factors can make developing an effective influenza vaccine challenging. Current U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulatory requirements allow influenza vaccines to be grown in chicken eggs or cells. According to the CDC, today, the majority of influenza vaccines are still grown in chicken eggs. Some influenza viruses—like H3N2—grow poorly in eggs, making it difficult to obtain candidate vaccine viruses. Further, in some years, certain flu viruses may not appear and spread until later in the season, making it difficult to prepare a candidate vaccine virus in time for vaccine production.
Research undertaken at Georgia State University last year is attempting to boost flu shots’ effectiveness. Georgia State researchers developed a biodegradable microneedle patch and a protein constructed from sequences of influenza virus subtypes, which could improve convent
Misconceptions about vaccines aside, certain scientific and timing factors can make developing an effective influenza vaccine challenging. Current U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulatory requirements allow influenza vaccines to be grown in chicken eggs or cells. According to the CDC, today, the majority of influenza vaccines are still grown in chicken eggs. Some influenza viruses—like H3N2—grow poorly in eggs, making it difficult to obtain candidate vaccine viruses. Further, in some years, certain flu viruses may not appear and spread until later in the season, making it difficult to prepare a candidate vaccine virus in time for vaccine production.
Research undertaken at Georgia State University last year is attempting to boost flu shots’ effectiveness. Georgia State researchers developed a biodegradable microneedle patch and a protein constructed from sequences of influenza virus subtypes, which could improve convent
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