It’s a one-shot wonder. A new AI-designed “universal” vaccine offering protection against a wide swath of viruses has been successfully trialed in humans with no significant consequences. The new AI vaccine is designed to provide immunity to entire families of viruses and, crucially, protect people from future mutations. This new class of vaccines could save millions of lives by stopping pandemics before they start as well as avoiding the lockdowns that damage economies. The use of AI in vaccine development is a first.
“We’ve converted vaccine development from being reactive to being future proof,” said Professor Jonathan Heeney from the Lab of Viral Zoonotics at the University of Cambridge. “Our vaccines will continue to provide protection against viruses even as they mutate into new strains. We’ve overcome the problem of traditional vaccines which have limited protection. It means we can escape the constant cycle of chasing virus variants circulating in humans and updating the vaccines to try to catch up, like a dog chasing its tail.”
To design a future-proof universal antigen, researchers used all the available genetic sequence data for Sarbeco coronaviruses logged by surveillance programs around the world. They then used AI to design a super antigen containing the antigen features common to the entire group of viruses, including ones that haven’t emerged yet. In the trial, the super antigen was administered using a microfluid jet that uses a high-pressure, hair-thin stream of liquid to push the vaccine directly into skin cells. Microfluid jets can speed up vaccinations in a large number of people as well as among those with a fear of needles.
The clinical trial of the “super-antigen,” developed by the University of Cambridge and biotechnology company DIOSynVax, involved 39 volunteers aged between 18 and 50 years old and targeted multiple Sarbeco coronaviruses, including the one that caused the COVID pandemic. The antigen is the active ingredient in a vaccine that triggers the body’s immune system and trains it to fight off future infection. Only two of the volunteers experienced a severe reaction but these were temporary and non-life threatening. Coronaviruses that circulate in animals can potentially jump to humans but predicting which one and when is impossible.
Further development of the universal vaccine is needed before it is ready for public use. A phase 2 trial of 200 people will assess the vaccine’s ability to induce strong immune responses in wider and more diverse populations. Researchers hope the same AI process can be used to develop vaccines for diseases like Ebola, which has no known cure, as well as bird flu, which is a looming crossover threat. They also hope to make seasonal flu shots a thing of the past.
On a broader note, the development of a universal vaccine breakthrough in the U.K. appears to be indicative of how vaccine development has shifted away from the U.S. due to the anti-vaccine sentiment rife within the Trump Administration, personified by Robert Kennedy, Jr., secretary of the U.S. Health and Human Services.
