Scientists recently finished the first human clinical trial for the first vaccine where the active part was designed entirely by computer simulations. According to researchers, so far, it is safe with no major side effects.

This is new type of coronavirus vaccine. Thirty-nine healthy volunteers between the ages of 18 and 50 took part in the trial in Southampton and Cambridge in the UK.

Current vaccines use specific virus strains that experts have already found in humans. However, viruses constantly mutate and change. By the time traditional vaccines are made and shipped out, they often offer less protection and need yearly updates.

“Viruses like Influenza, Coronaviruses and the Ebola group are evolving continuously and by the time vaccines are rolled out, they may be poorly matched – the current ‘reactive’ vaccine system struggles to keep pace,” said Professor Saul Faust from the University of Southampton, the trial’s chief investigator.

Designing a Super-Antigen

vaccine vials
Generic vaccine vials; Photo: Bits And Splits/Shutterstock

A team from the University of Cambridge and a spin-out company called DIOSynVax used machine learning to address the ongoing challenge. They looked at the genetic data for all Sarbeco coronaviruses, a large family of viruses that includes SARS. This is the same virus that caused COVID-19.

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The computer found the shared traits across this entire virus family. Then, it designed a “super-antigen” to target them all, including viruses that haven’t even emerged yet.

“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,” Professor Jonathan Heeney from the University of Cambridge, said.

“We’ve overcome the problem of traditional vaccines, which have limited protection,” He added. “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’s Potential

In the clinical trial, volunteers received the DNA vaccine through a needle-free fluid jet. This might work well for people who are afraid of needles, and it makes large-scale vaccinations easier to handle.

The vaccine successfully triggered an immune response against SARS, SARS-CoV-2, and bat viruses, showing this computer-designed method is safe in humans.

A larger Phase 2 trial comes next to confirm how well it protects a wider, more diverse group of people.