How Many Hours Of Sleep Do Adults Need?

Scientists Develop Blood Test To Estimate Flu Immunity’s Duration

Researchers have uncovered a significant reason behind why some vaccines provide long-term protection while others only last for a short time. Their breakthrough focuses on identifying a molecular signature in the blood shortly after vaccination that predicts how long the vaccine’s effectiveness will last. This finding could lead to more personalized vaccine schedules, allowing healthcare providers to determine when individuals might need booster shots based on their immune responses.

The study highlights the role of megakaryocytes, cells in the bone marrow that produce platelets responsible for blood clotting. These megakaryocytes also seem to play a crucial role in how long a vaccine’s protection lasts. Researchers found that the genetic material in platelets can reveal information about the immune response, and this information correlates with the strength of the antibody response seen months after vaccination.

Researchers tested this theory with 50 people who received an experimental H5N1 bird flu vaccine, some of whom also received an adjuvant to enhance the immune response. By analyzing blood samples over 100 days, they discovered a pattern of platelet activity linked to stronger, longer-lasting antibody responses. Experiments with mice confirmed that increasing megakaryocyte activity resulted in higher antibody levels, further supporting their role in vaccine durability.

In addition to the bird flu vaccine study, the team analyzed data from nearly 250 individuals who received vaccines for diseases like seasonal flu, yellow fever, malaria, and COVID-19. They found similar platelet patterns across all vaccine types, suggesting a common mechanism for how vaccines induce long-lasting immunity. This discovery has the potential to improve vaccine design and predict how long each vaccine’s protection will last.

Moving forward, researchers are working on developing a simple blood test, possibly a PCR-based assay, to measure the immune response shortly after vaccination. This could help identify which individuals may require boosters earlier than others, enabling more personalized vaccination strategies and potentially improving vaccine effectiveness worldwide.