New AI-designed ‘universal vaccine’ could protect against future virus outbreaks

A new ‘universal’ coronavirus vaccine trialled at University Hospital Southampton (UHS) could protect against viruses yet to emerge.

Experts say this could potentially save millions of lives and avoid costly lockdowns.

The study took place at the NIHR Southampton Clinical Research Facility (CRF) and the NIHR Cambridge Clinical Research Facility. It was sponsored by UHS.

Creating a 'super antigen'

The vaccine was developed by a team at the University of Cambridge and spin-out company DIOSynVax.

They used all available genetic sequence data logged by surveillance programmes around the world relating to a large group of viruses. This included SARS-CoV-2, the virus that caused the COVID pandemic.

This led to the creation of a ‘super antigen’. This contained all features common to these viruses, known as Sarbeco coronaviruses.

The aim is to provide lasting protection against multiple viruses, even as they mutate.

'Future proofed' vaccine

The Southampton-Cambridge trial involved 39 healthy volunteers.

The vaccine triggered immune responses in the volunteers not only to SARS-CoV-2 and SARS, but also to related bat viruses. These could potentially jump from animals to humans and cause future pandemics.

It is the first time that a vaccine whose active component was designed entirely by computer simulations has been tested in humans.

The results, published in the Journal of Infection, show the vaccine is safe and has no significant side-effects.

Professor Saul Faust is Chief Investigator of the trial. He is Director of the CRF at UHS and a theme co-lead at the NIHR Southampton Biomedical Research Centre.

He said: “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.

“This new class of universal vaccines are future proofed. They not only protect against many variants simultaneously, but potentially against related viruses that haven’t yet emerged and spilt over 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.”

Needle-free delivery

The super antigen is compatible with most vaccine delivery systems. In this trial, it was administered as DNA vaccine through a micro fluid jet – and was needle-free.

Further development of the vaccine is needed before it is ready for public use. A larger Phase 2 trial will next assess the vaccine’s ability to induce immune responses in a wider and more diverse population. This will also aim to confirm that it generates strong, broadly protective immune responses.

Professor Jonathan Heeney, from the Lab of Viral Zoonotics, University of Cambridge’s Department of Veterinary Medicine, is the scientific lead for the research programme.

He said: “We’ve converted vaccine development from being reactive to being future proof. Our vaccines will continue to provide protection against viruses even as they mutate into new strains.

“We’ve overcome the problem of traditional vaccines, which have limited protection. It means we can escape the constant cycle of chasing the virus variants circulating in humans and updating the vaccines to try to catch up, like a dog chasing its tail.”

'Pivotal leap forward'

Professor Marian Knight is Scientific Director for NIHR Infrastructure. She said:

“The remarkable success of this AI-designed ‘super-antigen’ trial marks a pivotal leap forward in our ability to deliver broad, lasting viral protection.

“This milestone was only made possible through partnerships between the life sciences sector and our world-class NIHR infrastructure in Cambridge and Southampton, whose Clinical Research Facilities provided the vital expertise and environment needed to safely fast-track this innovation, and bring it one big step closer to patients.”

The research was primarily funded by Innovate UK. The DIOSynVax pipeline includes vaccine candidates for human seasonal flu and the pandemic influenza threats, haemorrhagic fever viruses, and coronaviruses including SARS-CoV-2.