In a major technological breakthrough, scientists have developed a machine-learning approach to create universal vaccines that target entire viral families rather than single mutations.
For the first time, researchers have used Artificial Intelligence or AI to design the key components of a vaccine aimed at protecting against multiple strains of rapidly evolving viruses, including potential future pandemic threats.
Scientists at the University of Cambridge say the AI-designed vaccine could mark a major shift in how vaccines are developed, potentially allowing researchers to respond faster to emerging outbreaks.
At the heart of this breakthrough is an AI-designed “super antigen” – and it could rewrite the way we think about vaccines forever.
What does this vaccine target?
The vaccine has been specifically made to target large amounts of viruses. It is designed to work on the viruses that infect animals but may cause a new pandemic, and viruses such as Covid, which have many strains and variants.
Why is this vaccine special?
The primary work of a vaccine is to teach the body how to identify any particular infection and fight it in time. But different strains of a virus- that oftentimes change appearances or mutate- need to be identified differently, and hence, we often need multiple vaccines to keep our bodies up to date.
This became evident during the Covid-19 pandemic, when multiple variants required updated vaccines and booster doses.
The newly engineered vaccine is aimed at saving time and resources for building a new vaccine for every new virus strain.
But how can this even be done?
Usually, to create a vaccine, the researchers take the genetic code of the virus, analyse it, and then create an antigen that trains the immune system to react against the virus if it ever enters the body.
Because of this, every single virus needs its own unique vaccine. But the new vaccine is not just going to train the body to identify a single virus. It will teach the body’s immune system to identify the entire family of the virus.
The genetic codes were given to the artificial intelligence, and it designed a “Super antigen”. This super antigen can train the immune system to identify and kill the virus even if it mutates, or if it is transferred from animals to humans.
Professor Jonathan Heeney, from the University of Cambridge, in an interaction with the BBC, said, “This is about making vaccines that protect us, not just from today’s viruses, but protect us from what can cause the next outbreak or disease. This is a fundamental shift in how we prepare for pandemics.”
Is it safe?
The vaccine was tested in two steps. The first trial included 39 people, and the second involved about 200. These tests were done to see how well the vaccine was training the immune system.
While the findings themselves were “modest,” many scientists are greatly excited about the potential of the vaccine and AI’s role in its creation.
What do the other scientists have to say about this?
Professor Saul Frost, one of the scientists who performed the trials at the University of Southampton, spoke to the BBC and said, “What’s really interesting is the technology is an awful lot better at designing vaccines for potential pandemics when viruses are changing.”
He added that the AI design had “potential” and was a “really exciting” find.
Prof Andy Pollard, director of the Oxford Vaccine Group, had no involvement in the study but noted that the approach was building a strong body of evidence in animal research. “It’s fascinating data and people wouldn’t have predicted they’d be able to generate these immune responses,” he told BBC News.
The true challenge, he added, lies in what human trials will reveal, since our immune systems differ fundamentally from those of laboratory mice – shaped and conditioned by a lifetime of exposure to infections.
On a wider note, he described artificial intelligence as a “game changer” for vaccine research, arguing that AI tools hold the potential to forecast how the immune system reacts to a vaccine, dramatically accelerating development and ultimately able to “save lives”.
Prof Marian Knight, scientific director at the National Institute for Health and Care Research, commented: “The remarkable success of this AI-designed ‘super-antigen’ trial marks a pivotal leap forward in our ability to deliver broad, lasting viral protection.”
Science Minister Lord Vallance stated: “Another British science success story, this is a great example of how we can bring our research expertise together with AI to deliver new treatments. “With the first human trials showing positive results, this work could help speed up the rollout of vaccines to benefit people all over the world for the long-term.”
