Vaccine Could Protect Us Against Future Pandemics

A new vaccine could be effective against coronaviruses that have yet to emerge, with hopes it could be used to battle future pandemics, research suggests.

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Scientists at the University of Cambridge, the University of Oxford and Caltech in the US are developing a novel approach called “proactive vaccinology”, which aims to train the body’s immune system to recognise several different coronaviruses.

The vaccine used antigens – a substance that triggers an immune response in the body – found in eight different coronaviruses, including those circulating in bats. This trains the immune system to go after the parts of the antigens that are shared across the viruses and other similar ones, including those not included in the vaccine.