Cambridge University team AI Designed a universal vaccine to complete the first human clinical trial and is expected to “stop” a pandemic ahead of schedule

On June 5th, information from IT House 5th, Cambridge University 5th (Today) announced that the research team was using AI technology to develop a “generic vaccine” with the aim of pre-stopping risks before a real outbreak of the future pandemic. This was also the first time that a fully computer-designed vaccine was used in human clinical trials, with no significant side effects.

In two medical institutions, Southampton and Cambridge, the vaccine was administered to 39 healthy volunteers between the ages of 18 and 50. It is known that the vaccine is mainly for Sarbeco coronary viruses and that the key active ingredient is a breakthrough antigen.

The experiment showed that the vaccination of volunteers resulted in a protective immune response to SARS-CoV-2, SARS and associated bat viruses that could trigger a pandemic in the future. In this development approach, vaccines are expected to protect even new diseases that have not yet emerged.

Traditional vaccines are often developed after the outbreak and are often difficult to keep up with as the virus evolves. In contrast, this new “super antigen” is expected to provide an integrated protection programme for diseases that can spread among the population, such as influenza and Ebola.

Jonathan Hini, Professor at the Laboratory for Viruses and Animals, Department of Veterinary Medicine, Cambridge, said, "We have moved from reactive to future-oriented vaccine development. Even if the virus transforms into a new strain, our vaccine will continue to provide protection. The protection of traditional vaccines is limited, and we have overcome it. This means that we can get out of the cycle that keeps chasing the epidemiological agent in the population, and then renew the vaccine and try to make it right, just like dogs chasing their tails."

In the course of research and development, the research team enters all of the global recorded Sarbeco coronary virus genetic sequence data into the AI model, and then learns to design an antigen through machines that will give the antigens the characteristics common to the whole group of viruses.

According to IT House, the next phase of the experiment will include a larger and more diverse range of participants and re-evaluate the effects of the vaccine, given the small number of samples.

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