New technologies for new influenza vaccines

The currently available influenza vaccines were developed in the 1930s through the 1960s using technologies that were state-of-the art for the times. Decades of advancement in virology and immunology have provided the tools for making better vaccines against influenza. We now have the means to make vaccines that address some of the shortcomings of the original products, in particular performance in the elderly.

► Current egg-based vaccines perform poorly in the elderly and have a long production cycle.
► Modern rDNA methods can produce influenza vaccines rapidly and efficiently.
► Application of new knowledge about the innate immune system can improve the immune response to influenza.
► New information about influenza gene function may yield a new class of vaccines.