Cambridge and DIOSynVax: AI Revolutionizes Pandemic Vaccine

An AI-Designed Vaccine Tested on Humans

For the first time, a vaccine whose active component was entirely designed through computer simulations is being tested on humans. This innovative project is the result of a collaboration between the University of Cambridge and the company DIOSynVax in the UK. Their goal is to create a vaccine capable of targeting the entire Sarbeco group of coronaviruses, including SARS-CoV-2, rather than a single specific virus.

Researchers collected the genetic code of all known coronaviruses through surveillance programs. This data was then processed by artificial intelligence to design the antigen, the active element of the vaccine.

Promising Trials

Initially tested on animals, the vaccine elicited an immune response against several coronaviruses. The trials then continued with a DNA vaccine administered via a fluid microjet to a group of 39 healthy volunteers. The results show an immune response not only against SARS-CoV-2 and SARS but also against other bat viruses that could trigger future pandemics.

The University of Cambridge stated that this trial demonstrates the safety of this new vaccine design method. However, additional steps are necessary before public availability, including phase 2 clinical trials to assess the vaccine's effectiveness on a larger and more diverse population.

AI, an Asset for Anticipating Pandemics

Researchers emphasize that the AI-based approach could provide an advantage for vaccines. According to Professor Saul Faust, viruses such as influenza, coronaviruses, and the Ebola group are constantly evolving, making current vaccines often unsuitable by the time they are deployed. The reactive vaccination system struggles to keep pace with this evolution.

This new category of vaccines, referred to as "universal vaccines," could protect against multiple variants simultaneously. It would even offer partial protection against closely related viruses that have not yet emerged or been transmitted to humans.

Jonathan Heeney, the project's scientific lead, explains that thanks to AI-designed superantigens, vaccine development could shift from a reactive approach to a sustainable one, thus protecting against future viral mutations.