K.G. Jebsen Centre for Influenza Vaccine Research

Why do we need new vaccines against influenza when influenza vaccines already exist?

Firstly, today’s influenza vaccines are not always efficacious. Secondly, a new influenza vaccine must be developed every year that is adapted to the ‘new’ viruses that it is presumed will cause illness in the coming influenza season. Thirdly, completely new viruses can arise that the population has no protection against whatsoever. In such cases, pandemics with high mortality can occur, as was the case during the Spanish flu pandemic in 1918. In pandemic situations,time and capacity problems can make it difficult to produce a vaccine in time. To solve these problems with today’s influenza vaccines, the researchers at the centre are developing a completely new type of vaccine.

The goal is to create a vaccine that protects against all present and future influenza viruses. People will only have to take such a universal vaccine once in order to achieve lifelong protection.

The centre consists of outstanding researchers in the fields of immunology, virology and infectious diseases at the University of Oslo, Oslo University Hospital, the University of Bergen and the Norwegian Institute of Public Health in Oslo.

The centre brings together researchers with different areas of expertise to work towards a common goal, the development of new influenza vaccines. The aim is to conduct ground-breaking research that can contribute to establishing a general influenza vaccine