New vaccine technology protects mice from a wide range of coronaviruses

Researchers have developed a new vaccine technology that has been demonstrated to protect against a wide range of infections in mice. coronavirus There are possibilities for future disease outbreaks, including ones we don't know about.

This is a new approach to vaccine development called “proactive vaccinology,” in which scientists develop vaccines before disease-causing pathogens emerge.

The new vaccine identifies eight different coronaviruses, including SARS-CoV-1, SARS-CoV-2, and several coronaviruses currently prevalent in bats that can jump to humans and cause infections. It works by training the body's immune system to recognize areas of the body. Pandemic.

The key to its effectiveness is that the specific viral region targeted by the vaccine also appears in many related coronaviruses. Training the immune system to attack these areas provides protection against other coronaviruses not included in vaccines, including those that have not yet been identified.

For example, new vaccines do not contain the SARS-CoV-1 coronavirus that caused the 2003 SARS outbreak, but they still induce an immune response against that virus.

Our focus is to develop a vaccine that protects us from the next coronavirus pandemic so that we can be prepared before the pandemic begins. ”

Rory Hills, Postgraduate Research Fellow, School of Pharmacy, University of Cambridge, lead author of the report

He added: “We have developed vaccines that provide protection against a variety of coronaviruses, including those that are still unknown.”

The results will be published in today's magazine natural nanotechnology.

“We don't need to wait for new coronaviruses to emerge. We know enough about coronaviruses and the different immune responses to them that we can start developing protective vaccines against unknown coronaviruses now. '' said Mark Howarth, a professor at American University. University of Cambridge School of Pharmacy, lead author of the report.

He added: “During the last pandemic, scientists did a great job of quickly producing a highly effective coronavirus vaccine, but the world was still faced with a massive pandemic that caused a huge number of deaths. We were in a crisis. We need to figure out how to make it even better.” In the future, vaccine pre-construction will begin as a strong element. ”

The new “quartet nanocage” vaccine is based on structures called nanoparticles, spheres of proteins held together by incredibly strong interactions.chain of various viruses antigen are attached to this nanoparticle using a new 'protein superglue'. These chains contain multiple antigens, which train the immune system to target specific regions common to a wide range of coronaviruses.

This study demonstrated that the new vaccine elicited a broad immune response, even in mice previously immunized with SARS-CoV-2.

The new vaccine is much simpler in design than other broadly preventive vaccines currently in development, and researchers say it should accelerate the move to clinical trials.

The basic technology they developed could also be used to develop vaccines to protect against many other health challenges.

The research involved collaboration between scientists from the University of Cambridge, the University of Oxford, and the California Institute of Technology. The study improves on previous research by a group from the University of Oxford and the California Institute of Technology. Develop a new all-in-one vaccine against the coronavirus threat. The vaccine developed by the University of Oxford and the California Institute of Technology is expected to enter phase 1 clinical trials in early 2025, but its complex nature could make it difficult to manufacture and limit large-scale production.

Traditional vaccines contain a single antigen to train the immune system to target a single specific virus. It may not protect against a variety of existing coronaviruses or newly emerging pathogens.