Cambridge scientists test AI-designed vaccine on humans

Scientists in Cambridge say they have taken a major step toward building vaccines that could protect against entire families of viruses—including future threats that have not yet emerged.

A research team from the University of Cambridge and biotechnology spin-out DIOSynVax has successfully completed the first human trial of a new “universal” coronavirus vaccine designed using artificial intelligence.

A Thursday report obtained by our correspondent from the varsity’s website and titled, “New ‘universal vaccine’ technology could protect us from future virus outbreaks,” disclosed this.

The early-stage trial involved 39 healthy volunteers and found the vaccine to be safe, with no significant side effects reported.

Researchers say the vaccine is designed not just for one virus, but for a whole group known as Sarbeco coronaviruses, which includes SARS-CoV-2 (the virus behind COVID-19), SARS, and related bat viruses that could potentially spill over into humans in future outbreaks.

“This represents a fundamental new vaccine technology that could prevent future pandemics before they begin.”

Unlike conventional vaccines that are updated to match individual virus strains, the new approach uses AI to design what scientists call a “super-antigen”—a vaccine component built from common genetic features shared across many viruses.

The aim is to train the immune system to recognise not just one variant, but a wide range of current and future versions of related viruses.

“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,” said Professor Jonathan Heeney, who led the research at the University of Cambridge.

He added: “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.”

The vaccine was tested at clinical research facilities in Southampton and Cambridge, and delivered using a needle-free jet system in the trial.

Early results showed that volunteers developed immune responses not only to known coronaviruses like COVID-19, but also to related animal viruses that have not yet caused human outbreaks.

“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,” said Professor Saul Faust, chief investigator of the trial.

He added: “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.”

Experts say the technology could eventually be adapted to other dangerous virus groups, including influenza and Ebola, raising hopes for broader protection against future pandemics.

However, researchers stress that the vaccine is still in early development. A larger Phase 2 trial is needed to confirm how well it works in a more diverse population and how strong its protection really is.

“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,” said Professor Marian Knight of the NIHR Infrastructure programme.

The study, funded mainly by Innovate UK, marks one of the first real-world tests of an AI-designed vaccine in humans.

Scientists say the long-term goal is to move away from constantly updating vaccines for new variants and instead develop broad, lasting protection against entire virus families—before outbreaks even begin.