Universal vaccines? Only if your antibody genes agree.

Designing a universal influenza vaccine must address not only viral antigenic drift but also genetic variability in human antibody responses. In this issue of Immunity, two studies from the Karlsson-Hedestam lab (Corcoran et al. and Fischer et al.) integrating immunoglobulin (IG) genotyping with antibody sequencing prompt a critical question: have we fully explored how ancestry-specific IG genotypes shape epitope targeting and influence the feasibility of germline-targeting vaccine strategies?