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I have worked in pediatric emergency departments for the past 35 years—since before the innovative conjugate vaccines against streptococcal pneumoniae and Haemophilus influenza type B were licensed in the ’80s and ’90s and introduced into the early-childhood vaccine schedule.

"We set out to find antibodies for the type B influenza virus, which continues to be a medical problem, and we were happy to find such especially powerful molecules in our search."

One of them, the so-called Yamagata-lineage of type B influenza, was struggling to compete before the pandemic and hasn’t been seen since March 2020, said Ian Barr, deputy director of the World Health Organization’s Collaborating Center for Reference and Research on Influenza in Melbourne.

Researchers evaluated the resulting "hexaplex" nanoliposome in animal models with three common flu strains: H1N1, H3N2 and type B.

Tests showed comparable levels of protection against H3N2 and type B viruses.