For decades, influenza vaccines have been judged largely by the antibodies they generate in the bloodstream, a measure that has remained the gold standard since the first flu immunizations were administered in the 1940s.

Yet flu viruses begin their assault in a very specific battleground—attacking host cells in the nose and upper airways of the lungs.

Despite its longevity, the La Jolla team contends that the vaccine has been woefully underappreciated when its capacity to generate a powerful immune response in the nasal passages and airways is taken into consideration. Fighting the flu where it begins should be the goal of any successful influenza immunization, the team emphasized in their research.