Abstract: Ever since the discovery of vaccines, many deadly diseases have been contained worldwide,
ultimately culminating in the eradication of smallpox and polio, which represented significant medical
achievements in human health. However, this does not account for the threat influenza poses on public
health. The currently licensed seasonal influenza vaccines primarily confer excellent strain-specific
protection. In addition to the seasonal influenza viruses, the emergence and spread of avian influenza
pandemic viruses such as H5N1, H7N9, H7N7, and H9N2 to humans have highlighted the urgent need
to adopt a new global preparedness for an influenza pandemic. It is vital to explore new strategies
for the development of e ective vaccines for pandemic and seasonal influenza viruses. The new
vaccine approaches should provide durable and broad protection with the capability of large-scale
vaccine production within a short time. The adenoviral (Ad) vector-based vaccine platform o ers a
robust egg-independent production system for manufacturing large numbers of influenza vaccines
inexpensively in a short timeframe. In this review, we discuss the progress in the development of Ad
vector-based influenza vaccines and their potential in designing a universal influenza vaccine. |
