An international research team coordinated by the Research Center of Novartis Vaccines and Diagnostics srl (company of GSK Group), has discovered the mechanism that develop narcolepsy after an influenza or an influenza vaccination in subjects genetically predisposed. The study has been published on the magazine Science Translational Medicine and the professor Montomoli, scientific director in VisMederi and professor in the University of Siena, has collaborated together with Franco Laghi Pasini, professor of the University of Siena and the Hospital of Siena and the Dr Claudia Trombetta of the University of Siena.

It has been demonstrated that this disease is the consequence of an interaction between an influenza virus infection or vaccine administration and genetic substratum  (HLA-DQB1*0602) of some subjects. When during the development of the disease come into play a particular protein, the nucleoprotein A, to reduce the risk of developing narcolepsy better to choose influenza vaccines with a little content of this nucleoprotein, protecting individuals from influenza infection.