For decades, getting a flu shot every year has been a routine for many people around the world. Flu viruses change and evolve so quickly that new vaccines are needed each season to keep up with them.
But a new breakthrough by Eric Weaver, a virologist from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, might make yearly flu shots a thing of the past. His team has developed a vaccine that could potentially protect against multiple strains of the flu virus, including those that affect humans, birds, and pigs.
The findings, recently published in Nature Communications, describe how this new vaccine, called the Epigraph vaccine, was designed using advanced computer software. The software analyzed the genetic codes of over 6,000 strains of the influenza virus that have appeared since 1930.
By identifying the most common and essential parts of these viruses, called epitopes, the researchers were able to create a powerful vaccine cocktail. Epitopes are small parts of a virus that the immune system recognizes and fights against. When these are included in a vaccine, the immune system can respond faster and more effectively if it encounters the virus later.
In tests conducted on pigs, the Epigraph vaccine showed remarkable results. Four groups of five pigs were given different types of vaccines: Epigraph, wild type (a vaccine based on natural flu strains), a commercial vaccine, or just a placebo with no active ingredients.
After being exposed to flu strains, the pigs that received the Epigraph vaccine did not get sick. They also developed strong antibodies against a wide variety of flu viruses, including strains from the past 20 years for humans and the last century for swine.
This is a big step forward because pigs are often seen as a “mixing vessel” for the flu virus. They can catch flu from both birds and humans, allowing the virus to mutate and sometimes jump back to humans in new and dangerous forms.
This happened in 2009 with the swine flu pandemic, which infected about 25% of the global population and killed over half a million people in its first year. By preventing flu in pigs, Weaver believes his vaccine could stop these dangerous cross-species transmissions before they happen.
The Epigraph vaccine was also tested against multiple strains of swine flu, including the variant that caused the 2009 pandemic, two human H1N1 strains from the same pandemic, and even a bird flu strain. The results were impressive.
The Epigraph-vaccinated pigs reached immunity levels for all 12 strains tested. In contrast, the wild type vaccine protected against only 8 out of 12 strains, and the commercial vaccine only worked against 6 out of 12. This shows that the new vaccine is far more effective at providing broad protection.
Weaver’s study also showed that the vaccine could provide protection for up to ten years based on regression analysis, which is a method to predict long-term outcomes based on study data. This is far longer than current flu vaccines, which only last for about a year. If these findings hold up in human trials, it could mean that people might only need a flu shot once every decade, or even less often.
Weaver is particularly hopeful that his vaccine could be the key to ending not just seasonal flu, but also stopping the kind of outbreaks that have caused global pandemics in the past.
Some of the worst flu pandemics in history, like the 1918 Spanish Flu, the 1957 Asian Flu, and the 1968 Hong Kong Flu, all started with flu viruses that jumped from animals to humans. By cutting off this path of transmission in pigs, his vaccine strategy could prevent future pandemics before they even begin.
The next steps for Weaver’s research include testing the vaccine’s effectiveness against both H1 and H3 strains in humans. He hopes to partner with a biotechnology company to move forward with human trials. Although these initial results are incredibly promising, Weaver is eager for other scientists to confirm his findings.
He is confident that his team’s vaccine design, powered by the Epigraph software, is better than anything currently available. In his words, “We do the most stringent controls that we can possibly do, because we want to be absolutely certain—and I have no doubt that this vaccine is better than the current vaccines.”
If further research supports these findings, the Epigraph vaccine could not only eliminate the need for annual flu shots but also dramatically reduce the risk of deadly flu pandemics. It could mark the beginning of a new era in how we prevent one of the world’s most common and dangerous diseases.
If you care about wellness, please read studies about how ultra-processed foods and red meat influence your longevity, and why seafood may boost healthy aging.
For more health information, please see recent studies that olive oil may help you live longer, and vitamin D could help lower the risk of autoimmune diseases.
The research findings can be found in Nature Communications.
Copyright © 2025 Knowridge Science Report. All rights reserved.
