Scientists from Leyden Labs in the Netherlands and their partners have been working on a different approach: a spray you apply directly to the nostrils to block the virus at the point of entry. Their research is published in the journal Science Translational Medicine.

The spray contains an antibody called CR9114, which was developed by the pharmaceutical company Johnson & Johnson. Unlike conventional vaccines that can only recognize specific flu strains, CR9114 can recognize and block almost all types of influenza A and B.