AI ‘super-antigen’ vaccine could protect against whole families of viruses
A groundbreaking new vaccine technology using artificial intelligence could provide immunity against entire families of viruses and protect against future mutations with a single injection.
Researchers say this could prevent future epidemics before they occur, save millions of lives and save countries from having to lock down.
A “super antigen” has been developed through artificial intelligence machine learning that meticulously analyzes past and current epidemics to identify the elements necessary for viruses to survive.
The world’s first human trial has already demonstrated the safety of a coronavirus vaccine created using this technology, and the upcoming Phase II trial has already demonstrated the safety of a coronavirus vaccine created using this technology. More than 200 people will participate in the phase study.
Experts praised this approach as a “major paradigm shift” from the current “reactive” system that is “struggling to keep up” with evolving diseases.
But the universal Sarbeco coronavirus vaccine, developed by the University of Cambridge and biotechnology company DIOSynVax, takes all available genetic sequence data worldwide and combines features common to the entire virus family.
Professor Jonathan Heeney, from the viral zoonotic laboratory at the Department of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Cambridge, said: “What the Covid pandemic has taught us is how quickly we can make vaccines, but we are still using the old paradigm.
“This is about making one vaccine based on their relationships that will get them all vaccinated.”
He added: “It’s not just predictive, it’s targeting what’s essential for that family of viruses. We’re targeting something in a family of viruses that the virus can’t easily change.”
A phase I trial has been published. Journal of Infection The study, sponsored by Southampton University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, included 49 healthy volunteers aged between 18 and 50 who were vaccinated in Cambridge and Southampton.
It was administered as a DNA vaccine via microfluidic jetting, a needle-free method that uses a high-pressure, hair-thin stream of liquid to push vaccine blueprints directly into skin cells.
Researchers found that the vaccine was safe and triggered an immune response not only against SARS-CoV-2 and SARS, but also against bat viruses that have the potential to pass from animals to humans. A previous study on animals also revealed that the vaccine caused a strong immune response against various coronaviruses.
Prof Heeney is hopeful the technology could be a “game changer” that will make vaccines “much better, providing broader and more robust protection”. It can provide comprehensive protection against thousands of virus types, such as Ebola.
There is currently another Ebola outbreak caused by the Bundibugyo virus in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Uganda.
Professor Saul Faust, from the University of Southampton and principal investigator of the study, said: “Viruses such as influenza, coronaviruses and the Ebola group are constantly evolving and may be poorly matched when vaccines are introduced – the current ‘reactive’ vaccine system is struggling to keep up.
“This new class of universal vaccines is future-proof. It not only protects against many variants at the same time, but also potentially against related viruses that have not yet emerged and spread to humans.
“If we can develop and clinically advance this new class of vaccines before a virus outbreak begins, millions of lives could be saved, lockdowns avoided and the economy protected.”
Professor Marian Knight, scientific director of the National Institute for Health and Care Research Infrastructure, said: “The extraordinary success of this AI-engineered ‘super antigen’ trial marks a very significant leap forward in our ability to deliver broad, durable viral protection.”
