"Based on these shared properties, we surprisingly discovered that a single broadly protective vaccine could be sufficient to protect against most variants," says virologist Mathilde Richard of Erasmus MC. The findings have now been published in the scientific journal Nature[1].
The long search for a vaccine
H5 highly pathogenic avian influenza, better known as bird flu viruses, have been a growing threat to humans and animals since the 1990s. These viruses have spread across virtually every continent and regularly cause major outbreaks in poultry, wild birds, and marine mammals.
Major outbreaks of bird flu occurred in the Netherlands in 2014. Since 2020, these have occurred almost annually. Such an outbreak requires the culling of hundreds of thousands of chickens and other poultry. The economic impact and the health risks for humans are enormous. "People can now also become seriously ill. Because the viruses are constantly evolving, it is difficult to develop a vaccine that protects against all variants," explaines Richard.
The search for a vaccine that protects both animals and people against the many bird flu viruses circulating has kept scientists busy for years. "The big question that worries us is whether this virus can cause a pandemic comparable to the coronavirus crisis," says Richard. "To limit such a pandemic, we need a vaccine that sufficiently protects animals and people against the different variants."
"Bird flu map" for a solution
Vaccines have already been developed for some variants, but according to Richard, they often no longer match the circulating variants once they are ready for use. "As a result, we are always playing catch-up. We wanted to do something different and come up with a universal and sustainable solution. To do that, we had to go back to the original virus from the 1990s and then map all the mutations and their locations."
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| [The Bird Flu Map] |
The idea for the ‘bird flu map’ arose after the bird flu outbreak in the Netherlands in 2014. The following year, the researchers began analyzing a large amount of data. “It took us ten years to create this clear and visual database, which allows us to quickly assess whether the new vaccine offers protection or needs to be adjusted. And that map is never finished, because new variants also have to be added to it.”
Phase I study and follow-up
The new vaccine proved effective in ferrets – a frequently used animal model in influenza studies – and prevented severe disease in infections with two different bird flu variants from different parts of the world. A phase I clinical trial is currently being conducted to test whether the central vaccine is also suitable for humans. “If it also works well in humans, we can respond quickly in the event of a pandemic. So we are hoping for a good outcome.” After that, the next steps will depend on cooperation with the pharmaceutical industry, Richard concludes.
[1] Kok et al: A vaccine central in A(H5) influenza antigenic space confers broad immunity in Nature - 2025
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