A stable trimeric influenza hemagglutinin stem as a broadly protective immunogen

Flu vaccine candidate STEMs the tide Every year we need a new flu vaccine, because influenza virus constantly mutates the major target of antibodies to flu: the “head” region of the viral hemagglutinin (HA) protein. Avoiding the problem of mutation requires a vaccine that elicits antibodies against the more conserved “stem” region of HA. During infection, antibodies are occasionally produced that recognize the stem and that neutralize a broad range of influenza virus strains. Impagliazzo et al. engineered an HA stem–only vaccine candidate that elicited broadly neutralizing antibodies in mice and nonhuman primates and that protected mice against multiple influenza strains. Science , this issue p. 1301