Researchers in my lab think that this
impact of influenza infection on muscles is another unintended consequence of the immune response to the virus.
They use this information to estimate the
number of influenza infections and deaths that might have occurred without vaccination, with the current vaccination program, and if the program were expanded.
These individuals are particularly susceptible to the more serious
effects of influenza infection, so improving vaccine efficacy in these people would be a real plus.
That gave us the idea of using a similar approach for the generation of vaccine candidates for the prevention of CIV, and our initial data using the mouse
model of influenza infection support the usefulness of this approach.
Real - time imaging
of influenza infection in mice is a promising new method to quickly monitor disease progression and to evaluate whether candidate vaccines and treatments are effective in this animal model, according to National Institutes of Health (NIH) scientists.
The researchers also employed a cutting - edge technology developed by their collaborators at Columbia University to reprogram the child's skin cells into early progenitor cells, then differentiate those into lung cells, the front
lines of influenza infections.
The paper focuses on two key molecular players in the
story of influenza infection: a human protein called TRIM25, which was recently discovered to play an important role in the human immune response to flu infection; and a protein called NS1 present in all strains of the influenza A virus and shown to bind TRIM25 to keep it from doing its job.
To determine if pregnant women experience a similar
evolution of influenza infection, Gabriel and Arck are planning to look for similar mutations in samples from pregnant women who suffered from influenza.