Scientists at the University of Southampton have begun work on reprogramming natural killer cells to create pre-armed, long-lasting protection against common respiratory viruses including colds, flu and RSV. The approach differs from traditional vaccination, which uses weakened pathogen to train adaptive responses.
Professor of Hepatology Salim Khakoo from the University of Southampton said the technique could change how people protect themselves from flu, colds and RSV: “We’re working on creating a natural killer cell found in the lungs with a memory about how to fight the viruses immediately someone is infected. The idea is to arm our body naturally by enhancing these cells so that they can prevent infection from ever becoming established.”
Natural killer cells act as early responders that can destroy infected cells before a virus spreads, but they are short-lived. Co-lead Dr Andres Vallejo noted that learning to reprogram them could yield long-lasting versions resident in the airways, ready to respond on first exposure. The team received £2.5 million for the TRIUMPH-NK project under a £57 million Advanced Research + Invention Agency (ARIA) initiative. Success would aim for protection against most common respiratory viruses rather than single strains. Viruses such as flu, RSV and Covid remain major causes of illness and winter hospital admissions in the UK.
Source: University of Southampton
