Flu vaccine that could last ‘number of years’ being trialled in Brisbane

Brisbane’s Mater Hospital is starting trials on a universal flu vaccine that it hopes could do away with the need for yearly jabs.

Researchers at the Mater have launched a clinical trial of vaccine OVX836, which targets the internal nucleoprotein of the flu virus, the part that is less susceptible to mutations.

Mater director of infectious diseases Dr Paul Griffin said a universal vaccine could dramatically shift the way clinicians guard against the flu by aiming to target parts of the virus that do not change.

“There are some limitations on flu vaccines, particularly those bits on the…