Researchers have engineered antibodies that could potentially lead to a cure-all for multiple strains of influenza, including the dangerous H5N1 strain of bird flu, according to a study published in Nature Structural and Molecular Biology. Mice that were infected with bird flu and three days later were injected with the treatment exhibited no symptoms of illness. Whereas existing flu vaccines are able to target only one strain of virus at a time and need to be redeveloped every year, the new research suggests that a single treatment may work against many strains.

Subsequent studies showed the virus could disarm multiple strains of flu

If the antibodies are tested to be safe and effective, it could take several years to develop a licensed product