Report

Advances in vaccine technologies

This POSTnote from the UK Parliament provides an overview of vaccine development and technologies. It also covers opportunities and challenges in vaccine discovery and manufacture, as well as policy approaches to stimulate vaccine research and development in the UK.

Vaccines, as part of a wider array of complementary measures, are highly effective at tackling infectious diseases. The World Health Organization estimates that vaccines prevent 4-5 million deaths every year around the world. The Government’s 2021 Life Sciences Vision identified supporting novel vaccine discovery, development, manufacture and use as part of its priorities.

Key points:

  • Vaccines are thoroughly tested in pre-clinical and clinical trials to assess their safety and efficacy before authorisation to use and large-scale manufacturing.
  • There are several vaccine technologies currently available, each with its own advantages and limitations.
  • Platform-based vaccines (such as DNA-, RNA- and viral vector-based vaccines) can be quickly adapted and modified as needed. These technologies have the potential to quickly respond to some emerging pathogens (such as new viruses) but have limited use against others (such as new bacteria).
  • Vaccine R&D has a series of challenges and it can be facilitated by advances in fundamental and veterinary research, a robust clinical trial infrastructure, innovation in clinical trials design, new pathways to accelerate the authorisation process and optimisation of manufacturing (including through deployment of more adaptable facilities).
  • The UK Government has invested in vaccine R&D in the UK through a series of initiatives, including the UK Vaccine Network, the Vaccine Manufacturing and Innovation Centre and the recently announced Animal Vaccine Manufacturing and Innovation Centre.
  • The UK has also supported international initiatives, including the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), COVAX and the Global Alliance for Livestock Veterinary Medicines (GALVmed). Vaccine R&D, pandemic preparedness and the role of vaccines in antimicrobial resistance (AMR) were among the focuses of the 2021 G7 Summit.
  • The 2021 Life Sciences Vision aims to sustain the UK’s position in novel vaccine development and to make the UK globally competitive in life sciences.