New DNA-based flu vaccine would end need for annual shots
Every year, the medical experts tell us to roll up our sleeves and get a flu shot.
But researchers are working on a vaccine that would last for years, eliminating the need for the annual shot.
A team of researchers at the University of Washington say they've developed a universal flu vaccine, or DNA vaccine.
The flu is constantly changing, and every year scientists have to guess what kind of vaccine to make. But the DNA vaccine isolates the parts of the virus that don't mutate.
A gene gun then injects the DNA directly into a person's skin, and the body produces its own vaccine.
Tests on primates revealed 100 percent protection against previously circulating flu viruses. Researchers are hoping the DNA vaccine will be on the market in about 10 years.
