First trial of an AI-designed vaccine

Scientists at the University of Cambridge have reported the first human trial of a vaccine whose active ingredient was designed entirely by computer.

The results, announced on 5 June, show that the experimental vaccine is safe and can trigger immune responses against several related coronaviruses.

A vaccine designed by machine

The vaccine, known as pEVAC-PS, was developed by researchers at Cambridge and the company DIOSynVax. It uses a "super-antigen" designed with machine learning and computer simulations, rather than being based directly on a single virus.

The aim is to protect against a whole family of viruses known as sarbecoviruses, which includes the virus that causes Covid-19, the original SARS virus of 2003 and related viruses found in bats.

The trial

The phase one trial involved 39 healthy volunteers. It found the vaccine was safe, and that it prompted immune responses against SARS-CoV-2, SARS-CoV-1 and related bat coronaviruses.

Phase one trials are the first stage of testing in people, and are mainly designed to check safety. Larger trials will be needed to show whether the vaccine protects against infection.

Preparing for the next pandemic

The Covid-19 pandemic showed how quickly a new virus can spread around the world. Vaccines were developed in record time, but only after the virus had already caused huge harm.

Scientists hope that vaccines designed to protect against whole families of viruses could be ready before the next pandemic begins, giving the world a head start.

Many experts believe bat coronaviruses pose a continuing risk of spilling over into humans.

AI in medicine

The trial is part of a growing use of artificial intelligence in medicine and drug discovery. AI tools can explore far more possible designs than humans, and can predict how molecules will interact with the immune system.

A British lead

British scientists played a major part in the response to Covid-19, including the development of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine and the first vaccination in the world outside a trial, given in Coventry in December 2020.

The Cambridge team hopes the approach can be applied to other groups of viruses, including influenza.

The researchers say that designing vaccines by computer could make them faster and cheaper to develop.