GLOBAL CHALLENGES

Better Flu Vaccines with Computer Algorithm

Rebecca Kutzer-Rice | Date: 07-20-10 | Comments

Researchers at the University of Miami and Stony Brook University are using a computer algorithm to create safer flu vaccines rapidly. The research could lead to better vaccines for other viruses and the creation of synthetic organisms.

When the swine flu pandemic swept across the world last winter, many feared an effective vaccine would come too late. Luckily, scientists developed a vaccine relatively quickly. For future influenza viruses, however, fears remain. Researchers at the University of Miami (UM) and Stony Brook University have developed a computer algorithm to quickly and accurately create flu vaccines in the hopes that future influenza pandemics could be stopped before they start.

The flu virus is particularly dangerous because it can quickly mutate before vaccines are created.

Influenza is a particularly dangerous virus because of its frequent and erratic changes in genetic code. By the time scientists have created safe vaccines, the virus has often mutated to a different form. The new method of creating flu vaccines, which uses a computer algorithm, is rapid enough to catch the virus before it has a chance to mutate.

A common vaccine is the live vaccine. In this type of vaccine, scientists weaken a virus until it can no longer cause illness in patients. The weakened virus is then injected to cause immunity from stronger versions. Although this kind of vaccine is usually quite effective, it can be quite dangerous. The genes of the weakened virus can mutate and cause illness.

The new method of vaccine creation uses a computer to weaken the virus. Algorithms compute the best places in a virus�s genetic code to make changes. The computer chooses specific proteins in which changes can both weaken the virus and prevent future mutations.

"We have been able to produce an entirely novel method to systematically design vaccines using computer algorithms," says Dimitris Papamichail, Assistant Professor of Computer Science in the College of Arts and Sciences at UM and co-author of the study, according to the press release. "Our approach is not only useful for influenza; it is also applicable to a wide range of viruses."

The researchers believe their work could have broad medical applications, such as creating synthetic organisms. Their research is forthcoming in Nature Biotechnology.