Universal flu vaccine possible with lab-made antibodies

Scientists on Sunday unveiled lab-made human antibodies that can disable several types of influenza, including the highly-lethal H5N1 bird flu and the "Spanish Flu" strain that killed tens of millions in 1918.

Tested in mice, the antibodies work by binding to a previously obscure structure in the flu virus which, when blocked, sabotages the pathogen's ability to enter the cell it is trying to infect, according to the study.

Because this structure is genetically stable and has resisted mutation over time, the antibodies are effective against many different strains.