Sick with flu? Scientists want to increase vaccine longevity : Short Wave

The COVID-19 mRNA vaccine generates enough of an antibody response to protect against severe disease for six months. But other vaccines offer years-long — even lifelong — immunity, such as the measles or yellow fever vaccines. Is there a way for scientists to tell how long a person's immunity will last? A team at Stanford Medicine might have found a way to do just that — with the help of some of the cells found in our bone marrow. Questions about vaccines or the respiratory season? Email us at shortwave@npr.org — we'd love to hear from you!

Blood test can predict how long vaccine immunity will last, Stanford Medicine-led study shows

A surprising class of blood cell not typically associated with immunity plays a role in shaping the durability of immunity to vaccination, new research suggests.

Stanford researchers' flu vaccine breakthrough could help US fight bird flu

Stanford University scientists developed a way to improve the standard flu vaccine.

Bali Pulendran is new director of Institute for Immunity, Transplantation and Infection

The institute's purpose is to understand the human immune system at multiple levels - molecular, genetic and cellular - and to harness this understanding to prevent and treat disease.

Stanford faculty named AAAS Fellows

Seven Stanford faculty are among the 502 new fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Stanford researchers think future pandemics could be prevented with universal vaccines

Preventing the next worldwide pandemic from happening before it even starts -- researchers at Stanford University think it's possible.

Going beyond B cells in the search for a more multi-targeted vaccine

The ultimate goal: a vaccine with coverage so broad it can protect against viruses never before encountered.

Searching for vaccine variability in the land of the flu

The ultimate goal: a vaccine with coverage so broad it can protect against viruses never before encountered.

The hunt for a vaccine that fends off not just a single viral strain, but a multitude

Stanford Medicine researchers are designing vaccines that might protect people from not merely individual viral strains but broad ranges of them. The ultimate goal: a vaccine with coverage so broad it can protect against viruses never before encountered.

Research findings could explain why young kids rarely get very sick from COVID-19

Children’s noses pack a punch that could help explain COVID-19’s typically mild course in young kids. Researchers hope to parlay that ‘nasal magic’ into increased protections for adults.

Why Do Infants Seem to Avoid Severe COVID-19?

They aren’t immune, but serious illness is rarer among very young infants than among adults.

mRNA medicines: Looking back, and a look forward

Stanford Medicine experts discuss the past successes and future potential of mRNA as a new type of medicine or treatment.

Stanford Medicine researchers can predict who will develop immunity from vaccination

A gene signature seen in antibody-producing cells in the blood of vaccinated study participants could expedite vaccine development.

Beyond a witches' brew

An interview with Bali Pulendran on how adjuvants might extend the durability of mRNA-based vaccine protection.

Study shows why second dose of COVID-19 vaccine shouldn't be skipped

Scientists scrutinized Pfizer vaccine recipients' blood samples to learn exactly what effects the vaccine exerts on the body's immune system.

How do the new COVID-19 vaccines work?

The Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines are the first to use RNA, an info-coding molecule, to prompt our bodies to fight the virus. Here's how they work.

Study reveals immune-system deviations in severe COVID-19 cases

A Stanford study shows that in severely ill COVID-19 patients, "first-responder" immune cells, which should react immediately to signs of viruses or bacteria in the body, instead respond sluggishly.

A coronavirus vaccine in 2020? Maybe. Here's what has to go right

Can a coronavirus vaccine really be developed this year? Dr. Anthony Fauci and other experts say it's possible but far from certain.

New HIV vaccine strategy strengthens, lengthens immunity in primates

Most vaccines direct the adaptive immune system to fight off infections with one arm tied behind its back. A new study in monkeys untied the other arm.

People's response to flu vaccine influenced by gut microbes

Decimating levels of intestinal bacteria with antibiotics reduced the immune system's responsiveness to a seasonal influenza vaccination, a Stanford-led study found.