Get all your news in one place.
100's of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Conversation
The Conversation
Neil Mabbott, Personal Chair of Immunopathology, University of Edinburgh

Universal vaccine to treat colds, flu and COVID developed – and a new study suggests it just might work

Pixel-Shot/Shutterstock.com

Vaccines have traditionally worked by teaching the immune system to recognise a specific virus or bacterium – in effect, showing it a wanted poster for a single suspect. But what if one vaccine could protect against dozens of different infections at once? Researchers have now developed a potential candidate for such a vaccine, and a new study in mice, published in the journal Science, has given promising results.

What is this new vaccine, and how does it work?

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100's of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.