The Future of Flu Vaccines

This year’s flu season was one for the books. One hundred years after the worst influenza pandemic in human history, there is growing concern about how effective the annual vaccines are and whether or not the world will be prepared when another pandemic strikes. This issue features two articles on flu that help answer these questions. One describes the current state of influenza vaccine research and areas of possible overlap between the technologies and strategies being applied to develop a vaccine against HIV. The other is an interview with Jonathan Quick, senior fellow at the non-profit Management Sciences for Health and author of the recently published book, “The End of Epidemics: The Looming Threat to Humanity and How to Stop It." Quick balances the looming threat that influenza and many other infectious pathogens pose with a sense of hopefulness about the possibility of limiting or even eliminating these threats in the future. For the latest updates on HIV vaccine research, there is a perspective piece authored by one of IAVI’s own scientists, Devin Sok. On a sad note, we also pay tribute in this issue to two dedicated and inspiring contributors to HIV research who passed away recently—David Cooper and Bonnie Mathieson. READ MORE »