Influenza–specific ADCC: Role in a universal flu vaccine?

Project Details

Influenza mutates regularly to avoid neutralizing antibodies and immune responses that target more conserved areas are needed to combat new flu pandemics. Influenza ADCC has been a neglected area of research in recent decades. We adapted and refined our HIV ADCC assays to study Influenza. We found there is a remarkable degree of cross-reactivity in Influenza ADCC immunity. We found that influenza ADCC can play a role in reducing the severity of the 2009 Swine Flu epidemic in both humans and monkeys. 147,148 * The work opens up a whole new field of Flu immunity. We are now studying how Flu-specific ADCC and antibody-dependent phagocytosis can be induced by vaccination204,240,242 * and lead to protective immunity. Recent work shows ADCC is important in controlling H7N9 avian influenza 234and may be important in passive transfer studies258 *.

* superscript number links to a specific publication in the chronological listing on Stephen's blog

Researchers

Dr Andrew Wheatley, Dr Matt Parsons, Dr Hillary Vanderven with collaborators Pat Reading, Andrew Brooks, and the WHO Flu Centre.

Funding

NHMRC project and program grants

Research Group

Kent laboratory: HIV vaccines; immune responses to HIV-1; immunotherapy



Faculty Research Themes

Infection and Immunology

School Research Themes

Molecular Mechanisms of Disease



Key Contact

For further information about this research, please contact the research group leader.

Department / Centre

Microbiology and Immunology

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