Overview

• The Jackson Laboratory reported in Science Advances that a three-antibody mix protected mice from diverse influenza A strains, including H1N1, H5N1 and H7N9.
• In H7N9 tests, survival reached 100% when treatment began within three days of infection, dropping to 70% on day four and 60% on day five.
• The cocktail worked at low doses, lowered lung viral loads, and improved outcomes in both healthy and immunocompromised animals.
• Sequencing over 24 days showed no mutations in the targeted M2 region, indicating no viral escape under the study conditions.
• The antibodies have not been tested in humans, and the team plans to humanize them and pursue clinical trials, with potential future use as a stockpiled prophylactic or treatment.