Why do we still see “bad flu years” even when vaccination rates are high? Because seasonal influenza vaccines have a built-in challenge: flu viruses mutate fast. By the time vaccines are selected and manufactured months ahead of winter, the strains circulating can shift—and protection can drop. In Europe last season, vaccine effectiveness was reported at under ~30% in some estimates. That gap doesn’t just show up in charts. It shows up in: · more severe illness for patients · more pressure on already-stretched hospitals · higher system-wide costs during the annual “winter crisis” We know we can do better. At nCage, we’re developing a Universal Flu approach: a vaccine designed to build immune protection that holds up even as influenza changes—with the goal of protection lasting multiple seasons, reducing hospitalisations and ultimately saving lives. Here’s how we’re going about it: · Our work builds on Epitopes of Limited Variability (ELVs) discovered by scientists at Oxford University · One ELV, OREO, appears in influenza haemagglutinin historically in just five variants · Using AI-designed de novo scaffolds, we’re creating structures that can display all five OREO variants on our TRAP cage · The result is a synthetic virus-like particle designed to mimic every historical strain profile of influenza In mouse studies, displaying OREO epitopes on the TRAP cage generated a strong neutralising antibody response against live virus—stronger than responses seen with mRNA or DNA formats presenting the same epitopes. We’re excited about what this unlocks. It’s a meaningful step toward a vaccine strategy that can outpace viral drift, not chase it.
