Summary:
- The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is investing $500 million in a project to develop a universal flu vaccine that can protect against multiple strains of the influenza virus.
- The project will use older vaccine technologies, such as inactivated viruses and recombinant proteins, to create a vaccine that can provide long-lasting protection against a wide range of flu strains.
- Developing a universal flu vaccine is important because the current seasonal flu vaccines often do not provide effective protection, and a new pandemic flu strain could emerge at any time, posing a significant public health threat.