Researchers from the University of Cambridge have used artificial intelligence for the first time to fully design a key component of a completely new type of vaccine, capable of protecting against a wide range of viruses and preventing global pandemics.
The vaccine was engineered as a “super-antigen” that trains the immune system to respond to all types of coronaviruses and their mutations, as well as viruses that jump from animals to humans.
The results of a world-first clinical trial were published this week in June in the scientific journal Journal of Infection. The trial tested a new vaccine in humans, with its central component fully designed and engineered by an artificial intelligence system at the University of Cambridge.
The initial trial, involving 39 participants, was designed to test the safety of the technology. The research is now expanding into a second trial involving about 200 people to understand the vaccine’s effects on the human immune system.
The British Science Minister, Lord Vallance, and international experts described the development as a major scientific success and a historic turning point in humanity’s ability to get ahead of the mutation rate of deadly viruses.
Until now, vaccine development has relied on a traditional model that uses a specific existing virus strain. This has left science constantly playing catch-up to viruses’ ability to change their external structures, rendering existing vaccines outdated.
To solve this ongoing chase, the Cambridge researchers fed an AI system huge databases containing the genetic codes of various coronaviruses collected through monitoring programs around the world.
Professor Jonathan Heeney from the University of Cambridge explained the operational shift:
“We are always behind the viruses. What we are trying to do now is get ahead of the curve, and be so far ahead that we can protect against new outbreaks or global pandemics.
“This is about creating vaccines that protect us not only from today’s viruses, but from whatever could cause the next outbreak or disease. This is a fundamental change in how we prepare for global pandemics. The AI analysed the genetic codes and designed a ‘super-antigen’ that teaches the immune system to attack the entire family of viruses, even if they mutate or jump from animals to humans.”
The move from computer-based design to real-world clinical use posed complex scientific challenges because the human immune system differs from that of laboratory animals and has been shaped over many years by prior infections. The first human trials were designed primarily to test whether the artificial antigen was safe to use.
Professor Saul Faust, who led part of the trials at the University of Southampton, described the emerging potential:
“This technology is very exciting, and the AI design certainly has fascinating potential. What is especially interesting is that this technology is much better at designing vaccines for potential pandemics when viruses are constantly changing.”
The detailed findings in the journal showed that the initial effect on the human immune system was “modest”, but the data were fascinating. Scientists had not previously predicted that immune responses like these could be generated using a component designed entirely by a computer.
The success of the current coronavirus trial has paved the way for parallel developments. The research team is already in advanced stages of animal studies aimed at developing super-vaccines for other deadly diseases.
Among these is a universal vaccine for seasonal influenza that would not need to be adjusted and updated every winter, as well as a specific vaccine for bird flu, in case the virus currently affecting bird populations mutates and spreads to humans.
At the same time, the researchers are examining a medical response to outbreaks of haemorrhagic fever:
“The team is directing resources towards developing a vaccine for the Ebola virus family. The current outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo is caused by a specific strain of the virus for which no effective vaccine has yet been developed, and artificial intelligence may significantly shorten development times.”
Professor Marian Knight, Scientific Director of the National Institute for Health and Care Research, noted that the clear success of the “super-antigen” trial represents a major leap in thinking and an unprecedented capability that could provide the world’s population with broad, long-term viral protection.
Experts conclude that artificial intelligence is set to completely change the rules of the game in medicine, enabling researchers to predict in advance how the body will respond to vaccines. This could accelerate scientific production processes and save lives on a global scale.
Further reading under fair use
From the “Interesting Articles” channel by Artificial Intelligence from Minisoft Software Engineering
Business management software: Code Bina
Credit and source: Efrat Briner, Channel 14 article.