A Better Flu Shot
Getting a flu shot hurts, but getting the flu is even worse. Every winter, sore throats, fevers, and other grippe symptoms keep lots of kids plate from cultivate. And regrettably, the shot, which is questionable to preclude people from getting the influenza, doesn't always work as well as doctors would equivalent.
 |
| Vaccine researchers want to bring i flu shots more effective. |
| Yanivba/Flickr |
Now, researches wealthy person establish a new, quicker way to make flu vaccines that mightiness workplace better. Their surreptitious weapon system? Caterpillar cells.
In a study during the 2004–2005 influenza season, 151 people were given a high-stepped dose of a caterpillar-power-assisted vaccine. None came land with the flu. Just 2 of 150 people who got a low dose of the newly vaccinum got sick. In comparison, 7 of 153 people given a fake vaccine developed the influenza.
"This is the first time this … vaccine has been shown to protect people against the influenza," says John J. Treanor of the University of Rochester (N.Y.) Medical Concentrate, who led the subject area.
The flu, besides called influenza, is caused by a computer virus that mutates over time. So, every summer, scientists try to guess which strains of the computer virus are going to spread around the globe the next winter. They then build up a vaccine to fight those strains.
The old vaccine contains a small amount of money of the grippe virus. Given the right dose, our bodies learn how to fight the computer virus without really acquiring consumptive.
For years, vaccine makers have grownup the worn flu vaccine inside of lily-livered eggs. Doing this, yet, takes 6 months. That's too long to make changes during years when the vaccine ISN't working too as IT should.
That's wherefore some researchers think that Caterpillar cells might make better flu-vaccine factories than chicken eggs. In the study, researchers at Protein Sciences Tummy grew Caterpillar cells in the lab. Then, they infected the cells with a type of insect virus called a baculovirus.
Normally, baculovirus produces a specific baculovirus protein. The researchers adjusted the computer virus, however, indeed that it churned out an influenza protein instead. When injected into people, this protein caused their immune systems to ramp up defenses against the flu.
Each strain of influenza makes a slightly different version of the influenza protein. Exploitation caterpillar cells as factories alternatively of fearful eggs, scientists could make quicker changes if they realized that the vaccinum they were currently fashioning would non be effective against the coming flu season's puree.
The new-sprung technique would necessitate 2 months as an alternative of 6 to produce grippe vaccines, the researchers say. That speed could save lives. Well-nig 36,000 people die of the flu in the America annually. Some other 226,000 end up in the hospital because of it.
Just before caterpillar cells can become a front-line weapon against the flu, scientists accept some more work to do.
"Overall, I'd say information technology's hortative," says Gary Nabel, theater director of the Vaccine Research Centre at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Md. Simply "is it ready to swoop in tomorrow and put back white-bread vaccines? No."—E. Sohn
Going Deeper:
Vastag, Brian. 2007. Bug versus intercept: Louse virus makes a viable flu vaccinum. Science News 171(April 14):227-228. Acquirable at http://sciencenews.org/articles/20070414/fob2.asp .
Sohn, Emily. 2006. Flu patrol. Science News for Kids (Jan. 4). Useable at http://www.sciencenewsforkids.org/articles/20060104/Feature1.asp .
0 Response to "A Better Flu Shot"
Post a Comment