September 28, 2009

Universities Spark Hunt for Universal Flu Vaccine

Small institutions, sabbaticals, and mathematics help develop surprising strategies against swine flu and other viral strains

Universities Spark Hunt for Universal Flu Vaccine 1

Whitney Curtis for The Chronicle

Immediate perfection in a universal flu vaccine is unlikely, says the leading researcher Robert B. Belshe, at Saint Louis U. The first versions may simply reduce the severity of infections.

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close Universities Spark Hunt for Universal Flu Vaccine 1

Whitney Curtis for The Chronicle

Immediate perfection in a universal flu vaccine is unlikely, says the leading researcher Robert B. Belshe, at Saint Louis U. The first versions may simply reduce the severity of infections.

By Paul Basken

The fight against swine flu has renewed attention to the hunt for a "universal" vaccine that might end the $3-billion annual worldwide race to develop and distribute flu shots.

If the quest is even partly successful, some thanks may be due to one small university's decision to approve a sabbatical for a young faculty member more than 20 years ago.

Each year, flu sickens millions of people and contributes to the deaths of 250,000 to 500,000 people around the world. Because the

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