World’s first AI-designed vaccine passes human safety trial
Between 2021 and 2023, scientists tested the vaccine's safety using 39 healthy volunteers. The goal was to protect against a broad range of viruses called Sarbeco Coronaviruses, including the one that caused the Covid-19 pandemic.
What you need to know:
- Kenya is among six African nations selected to develop next-generation vaccines using artificial intelligence.
- Experts say AI cuts costs and time, but more training is needed for local scientists.
Would you take a vaccine developed with the help of artificial intelligence (AI)?
The future is here. Scientists at the University of Cambridge have successfully completed initial human testing of the world's first AI-designed vaccine, pushing the technology into its next round of clinical trials.
The trial, whose findings were published in the Journal of Infections, shows the vaccine is safe, with no reported side effects among participants.
For two years, between 2021 and 2023, scientists tested the vaccine's safety using 39 healthy volunteers. The goal was to protect against a broad range of viruses called Sarbeco Coronaviruses, including the one that caused the Covid-19 pandemic.
The study is still in its early phase, but scientists say it shows great promise.
"It represents the first human dose escalation trial of the candidate Sarbecovirus vaccine. The vaccine was well tolerated at all four doses with no significant safety concerns elicited," the study states.
"No serious adverse reactions, suspected unexpected adverse reactions, or serious adverse events occurred," it clarifies.
In a statement released by the University of Cambridge, Lead Investigator, Prof Saul Faust from the University of Southampton, said viruses like Influenza, coronaviruses, and the Ebola group are continuously evolving. By the time vaccines are rolled out, they may no longer be effective against mutated versions.
"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 spill over to humans," he said.
"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 scientists used a DNA platform to design the vaccines. In their study, they explained that they chose this platform because of its stability, ease of manufacture, and adaptability.
However, they acknowledged that its ability to trigger immune response (or immunogenicity) in humans has historically been lower than that of messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccines like Pfizer or Moderna, which were used during the Covid-19 pandemic.
"Despite the constraints, DNA vaccines offer key advantages, particularly in terms of storage and distribution, as they are generally more thermostable (can withstand heat]) than mRNA vaccines and do not require ultra-cold chain logistics, making them well suited for use in low- and middle-income countries and in rapid-response scenarios," the study shows.
The vaccine is also needle-free, offering an alternative to those who fear injections.
Although the results are encouraging, the study notes that immune responses following vaccination were modest. It also did not disclose how long protection lasts or whether further booster doses will be required, as was the case during the pandemic.
We spoke to Ameyo Daglus, an international vaccinologist and expert in mRNA vaccine technology, who told Nation that he is optimistic AI-designed vaccines will form an integral part of the future.
He said the next generation of vaccines will use cloud computing, drawing on existing sequence data already in the system.
Through the Kenya Biovax Institute, the country's first local vaccine manufacturer, Kenya is positioning itself to be ready for a future where technology meets expertise.
"We are on the roadmap, and we are among six countries in Africa selected to work on the next generation of vaccine technologies," he said.
Daglus acknowledges there will be bottlenecks, particularly in sourcing human resource conversant in integrating AI into vaccinology, but he believes Kenya will truly be part of the future of vaccine manufacturing.
"Using informatics and artificial intelligence will ease this process," he said.
Daglus said that even though some people may be skeptical about AI, strict regulations are followed when developing any vaccine, and it should generally be considered safe after passing the required tests.
"This is one of the most regulated fields across the globe as well as in the country. So, for the ethical part, AI won't really have a direct impact on consumers," he said.
Kitts Kikumu, a computational biologist, explained to Nation that the use of AI in drug or vaccine development is more about validation. Scientists still do the work; AI simply shortens the time.
"Without it, they would have to do a lot of trial and error. AI cuts down the time and cost," he explained.
In a world where vaccine hesitancy and misinformation persist, Kikumu said AI is the future, and it is inevitable.
"I don't think there should be any fear or doubt towards a vaccine developed using AI.”
In Africa, Kikumu explained, organisations like BioStruct-Africa are training scientists to use AI tools in their research.
He said that since this involves biological data used to train AI models, rigorous steps are in place, with data protection laws safeguarding privacy.
"It shouldn't be a huge security risk because of the laws we have, but I think more training needs to be done, especially among young scientists," he explained, adding: "We should integrate such advancements into our education system because scientists in the West are already a step ahead.”
