Artificial intelligence has been used to develop a “fundamentally new” type of vaccine that researchers say could protect against a broad range of viruses and help prevent future pandemics.
Scientists at the University of Cambridge say it is the first time a vaccine’s key component has been designed entirely by AI and then tested in people.
The vaccine was created to work against all coronaviruses, including Covid variants and viruses currently found in animals that could potentially trigger future outbreaks in humans.
Although the research remains at an early stage, the team is already working on separate vaccines targeting influenza and Ebola.
Vaccines train the immune system to recognise and fight infections. However, many viruses constantly change through mutation, making existing vaccines less effective over time. This is why Covid and seasonal flu vaccines require regular updates.
“We’re always behind,” said Prof Jonathan Heeney of the University of Cambridge, adding “what we’re trying to do is get ahead of the curve” and so far ahead they could protect against new outbreaks or pandemics.
Traditional vaccines are typically designed around existing virus strains. The Cambridge researchers instead used genetic data collected from different coronaviruses identified through surveillance programmes monitoring potential viral threats.
The genetic information was analysed by AI, which designed a “super-antigen” intended to train the immune system to recognise and defend against an entire family of viruses, including mutated strains and new infections that may jump from animals to humans.
Antigens are the critical components of vaccines because they teach the immune system what to attack.
Heeney said this was the first time an AI-designed antigen had been tested in people. He described the technology as “surprising all of us” and said it was “amazing what we can do with it for the good of humanity”.
Heeney told BBC News: “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.”
The initial trial involved 39 participants and focused on assessing safety. A second study involving about 200 people is expected to provide a clearer picture of how effectively the vaccine stimulates the immune system.
According to findings published in the Journal of Infection, the vaccine’s effect on the immune system was “modest”, but researchers remain encouraged by the results.
Prof Saul Faust, who conducted some of the trials at the University of Southampton, said the AI-designed vaccine “definitely has potential” and was “really exciting”.
He told the BBC: “What’s really interesting is the technology is an awful lot better at designing vaccines for potential pandemics when viruses are changing.”
The Cambridge team is also conducting animal studies on a universal seasonal flu vaccine that would not need annual updates, as well as an H5N1 bird flu vaccine in case the virus develops into a human pandemic.
Researchers are also exploring vaccines for viral haemorrhagic fevers, including Ebola. The current outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo is caused by a species for which no vaccine has yet been developed.
Faridah Abdulkadiri
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