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Updated: May 11, 2026

Quantitative Analyses of all Influenza Type A Viral Hemagglutinins and Neuraminidases using Universal Antibodies in Simple Slot Blot Assays
Published on: April 4, 2011
The prospects and challenges of universal vaccines for influenza
Kanta Subbarao1, Yumiko Matsuoka
1National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA. ksubbarao@niaid.nih.gov
Abstract:
Vaccination is the most effective way to reduce the impact of epidemic as well as pandemic influenza. However, the licensed inactivated influenza vaccine induces strain-specific immunity and must be updated annually. When novel viruses appear, matched vaccines are not likely to be available in time for the first wave of a pandemic. Yet, the enormous diversity of influenza A viruses in nature makes it impossible to predict which subtype or strain will cause the next pandemic. Several recent scientific advances have generated renewed enthusiasm and hope for universal vaccines that will induce broad protection from a range of influenza viruses.
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