Scientists develop revolutionary AI vaccine aimed at stopping all viruses
Photo: doctor with a vaccine (Getty Images)
Scientists have developed a universal vaccine using artificial intelligence that can stop future pandemics and protect against mutations. The new technology, called a superantigen, allows immunity against entire families of viruses with just one shot, reports The Independent.
Researchers changed the approach to vaccination by asking artificial intelligence to analyze the genetic data of thousands of strains. Machine learning identified stable fragments of viruses. These elements hardly change during mutations, and it is these that the human immune system now targets.
Scientists from the University of Cambridge and the company DIOSynVax created the drug Sarbeco. It combines features of the entire coronavirus family, allowing the body to recognize even viruses that do not yet exist in nature.
Professor Jonathan Heeney from the Laboratory of Viral Zoonotics explained the logic behind the development:
"What that Covid pandemic taught us is how fast we can make vaccines, but we’re still using the old paradigm. This is about making one vaccine that will get them all based on their relationships."
Results of the first human clinical trials
The effectiveness of the method has already been tested. The first phase involved 49 healthy volunteers aged 18 to 50. The study took place in Cambridge and Southampton, and the results confirmed the complete safety of the drug.
The vaccine worked not only against SARS-CoV-2 but also protected volunteers even against bat viruses. This is critically important for preventing new outbreaks that jump from animals to humans.
More than 200 people will take part in the second phase of research, which will definitively confirm the effectiveness of the protection.
Needle‑free vaccination: How it works
The technology involves a new method of administration: instead of traditional syringes, a microfluidic jet is used. This is a thin stream of liquid under ultra‑high pressure that penetrates directly into skin cells in a fraction of a second.
The method has several advantages:
- No pain or fear of needles;
- Rapid uptake of the DNA vaccine by cells;
- Minimization of the risk of tissue damage.
End of reactive medicine
Currently, doctors act retroactively: vaccines are created after a virus has already spread. Professor Saul Faust of the University of Southampton calls this system ineffective because diseases evolve faster than the pharmaceutical industry.
"Viruses like influenza, coronaviruses and the Ebola group are evolving continuously and by the time vaccines are rolled out, they may be poorly matched – the current ‘reactive’ vaccine system struggles to keep pace," Faust says.
He is convinced that the new class of vaccines will give humanity an advantage – a chance to stay ahead of evolution.
This new class of universal vaccines is promising. They protect not only against many variants simultaneously but also potentially against related viruses that have not yet appeared or 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 preserved," the professor emphasized.
What else is known about vaccines
The world currently greatly lacks an Ebola vaccine. The WHO has described the Ebola outbreak situation in Africa as extremely alarming.
Recently, the world was also shaken by news about the hantavirus. It turns out that a vaccine against hantavirus has been in development for years due to lack of funding.
