Scientists at the University of Cambridge have created a new kind of vaccine; and for the first time ever, its key ingredient was designed entirely by artificial intelligence. The goal? To protect people not just from viruses we know today, but from ones that haven’t even infected humans yet.<\/p>\n
Here’s the problem with most vaccines: viruses like COVID-19 and the flu constantly change their appearance, or \u00ab\u00a0mutate.\u00a0\u00bb That forces scientists to update vaccines regularly, and they’re often playing catch-up. This new approach tries to get ahead of the problem entirely.<\/p>\n
The AI model used studied genetic data from a wide range of coronaviruses (the same family that includes COVID-19) and designed what researchers call a \u00ab\u00a0super-antigen.\u00a0\u00bb Think of an antigen like a wanted poster for your immune system. Instead of showing your body just one virus to watch for, this super-antigen teaches it to recognize an entire family of viruses, even ones that could jump from animals to humans for the first time.<\/p>\n
Early human trials involving 39 people showed the vaccine appears to be safe. A larger study with around 200 participants is now underway to see how well it trains the immune system. Results so far are described as \u00ab\u00a0modest but exciting.\u00a0\u00bb The Cambridge team is already working on similar vaccines for the seasonal flu, bird flu, and Ebola.<\/p>\n