Washington University researchers found that flu shots made with mRNA technology produced stronger immune-cell activity than a traditional flu shot in a small study. The findings, published in Nature Immunology, compared 13 people who got the mRNA flu vaccine with 15 who received the traditional vaccine.
Hanover Matz and the lymph nodes
Hanover Matz, a postdoctoral researcher at Washington University, described how the platform works. “What's really cool about mRNA-based vaccines is they actually provide the genetic information to produce the proteins that might be a part of a virus.” He added, “They give that instruction to your cells, the cells learn how to make the protein, and then they use that protein to train your immune system to fight the virus.”
In the study, the team focused on the lymph nodes. Matz said, “The lymph nodes are the place where all the immune cells come together to learn how to fight the virus.” He also said, “No matter what type of vaccine you get, it's going to stimulate those cells to respond, and they're going to make something called a germinal center.”
Nature Immunology study
The study found that five people in the mRNA group developed that germinal center response in their lymph nodes. None of the 15 people who received the traditional flu shot showed that response. The researchers said the mRNA vaccine may lead to a longer immune response and protection against more flu strains.
The work sits inside a broader effort to build a flu vaccine with mRNA technology. Influenza changes constantly, and vaccine makers try to match circulating strains each season. Matz said that if the virus changes mid-season, “it would be much easier to update an mRNA-based vaccine and deploy... to combat that viral mismatch.”
FDA and Moderna
The finding lands as the federal Food and Drug Administration recommended this summer that the agency approve Moderna’s mRNA vaccine for older adults. The COVID-19 immunizations remain the only mRNA vaccines currently on the market, so influenza would be a new use for the platform if the agency acts on that recommendation.
Matz said there has been “some uncertainty in the past few years about the future, particularly for mRNA-based vaccines.” He added, “I think it's important that we recognize that the science is out there, and that these have been proven to be effective, and certainly, while improvements in that uncertainty would be great for the science community, we're still really excited to go forward with this kind of research.”
Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
The research also arrives while Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has canceled hundreds of millions of dollars in research funding for mRNA research projects. A KFF poll found that one in five people did not feel comfortable with mRNA vaccines, adding another layer to the outlook for any flu product built on the platform.
For now, the practical question is whether Moderna’s mRNA flu vaccine reaches older adults, and the study gives the FDA a clearer scientific case to weigh when it makes its decision.
