Gene variant linked to robust flu vaccine response
Targeting immune signaling protein may offer a way to increase protection
By Nathan Seppa
Variant forms of a gene might tip off doctors to people who are naturally more or less likely to benefit from a flu vaccination. A new study of the gene variants’ effect also suggests a novel approach to boosting immunity, researchers say, that could be particularly helpful in elderly or immune-compromised people who generate subpar responses to vaccines.
Variations in the interleukin-28B gene, which encodes an immune system signaling protein, might account for some of the differences in protection seen among people getting the flu shot. Some harbor a form of the gene that induces a cell to produce less of the signaling protein. That may be good because lab tests show that this underproduction gins up a stronger antibody response from flu vaccination, researchers report in the December PLoS Pathogens.