Vaccine makers are betting that the “mRNA” vaccine technology, called “RNA” for short, which is approved in the manufacture of two Corona virus vaccines, will also contribute to reducing the number of catastrophic deaths each year from seasonal influenza.

In the report published by the American newspaper, The New York Times, writer Carl Zimmer says that influenza is no longer receiving the necessary attention, in light of the continuing world battle against the Covid-19 virus.

But this does not negate the devastating impact of this flu on the global level, as it causes annually between 3 and 5 million serious infections, and about 650,000 deaths.

Once in a few decades, a strain of influenza passes from animals to humans, causing a pandemic.


shocking numbers

The writer stresses that the number of influenza victims is shocking, if we take into account the existence of vaccines against it that were launched 8 decades ago.

However, the effect of these vaccines remains modest, as the effect of a single injection does not last for more than one season, and its effectiveness is usually between 40 and 60%, and in some years it drops to 10%.

But today we can witness the emergence of a new generation of highly effective influenza vaccines, within the next few years, based on RNA technology or the messenger RNA vaccine, which has been credited with protecting hundreds of millions of people against the Corona virus.

While traditional influenza vaccines are developed inside chicken eggs, in a process that takes many months, the new RNA technology is characterized by speed and ease, which enables scientists to manufacture the vaccine during a period of time very close to the beginning of the influenza season, and it also achieves a stronger immune response than regular vaccines. .

The writer points out that the American company "Moderna" and "Sanofi" of France have begun experimenting with RNA vaccine technology since last summer to manufacture influenza vaccines.

In addition, the American companies Pfizer and German BioNTech, which were also able to produce corona vaccines using this technology, began conducting laboratory experiments during the past month.

It is noteworthy that the company "Seqirus", which produces vaccines in England, plans to test an RNA vaccine for influenza early next year.

The writer believes that it is difficult - at the present time - to ascertain the results achieved by these vaccines against seasonal influenza, but most experts in this field express their optimism;

In particular, mRNA vaccine technology can be harnessed to create a multi-year vaccine against various strains of influenza.

That's why I'm very excited about the future of the flu vaccine, says Dr. Gina Bartley, an immunologist at the University of Connecticut.

The author points out that the influenza virus is characterized by virulence and the ability to continuously mutate and adapt, so the vaccine makers resorted to the idea of ​​incorporating 4 strains into the seasonal vaccine formula each year.

But because this vaccine is produced based on chicken eggs, the process is slow, and scientists are forced to choose the strains to be included months before the start of the flu season, which sometimes leads to an error in these guesses.


Significant impact

Between 2004 and 2019, the effectiveness of influenza vaccines ranged between 60% and 10%.

Knowing that any change in this percentage has a significant impact on the fate of humans, given the huge number of people infected with influenza every year.

The vaccine not only reduces the risk of infection, but also reduces the risk of deteriorating health and the need for hospitalization.

Scientists estimated that in the 2018-2019 season, influenza vaccines - which were only 29% effective - protected 4.4 million Americans from disease, 58,000 people were hospitalized, and 3,500 deaths.

But despite these numbers, virologist at Duke University, Dr. Nicholas Heaton, believes that "the flu vaccines that exist so far are not of sufficient quality, and if they are successfully developed, thousands of lives could be saved."

Vaccine Factory

The author explains that the idea of ​​the RNA or messenger RNA vaccine technology is completely different from the method of chicken eggs, as it makes human cells a vaccine factory.

Scientists create messenger RNA molecules with instructions to make the flu protein and then deliver it to cells.

Hence, these cells will then make copies of the virus protein that will climb to their surface.

When the immune cells pass, they notice its presence, and play their role in eliminating the virus.

During 2020, Moderna made a coronavirus vaccine using this technology, and tested it at record speed.

The result was astonishing, with a 95% efficacy rate, similar to that achieved by competitor Pfizer-BioNTech.


The author points out that the success of this technology allowed the two companies to achieve huge financial profits.

And the Pfizer vaccine - it now appears - is on its way to becoming the most sold drug in history.

Moderna's market value has also increased 19 times since the start of the pandemic.

Now these two companies, along with Sanofi and Siqueiros, are seeking to capitalize on this success to tackle seasonal flu.

Despite the caution shown by some scientists, studies show that this type of vaccine may be more effective than conventional ones.

Previous animal experiments have shown that RNA vaccines provide better immunity against influenza viruses, as they activate the animal's immune system to make antibodies, and they train immune cells to attack infected cells.

The author points out that this promising technology, even if it achieves the hoped success, will take many years before it receives official approval.

Also, flu vaccine trials with this technology will not receive the same government and financial support that the Corona virus vaccines received, and it is unlikely that they will obtain emergency approval from official health authorities.