Vaccines to protect against infectious disease are the single most effective medical product, but developing new ones is a challenging and lengthy process, limiting their use in developing countries where they are most needed. Once a new vaccine is developed, it undergoes animal testing, which is time-consuming and does not necessarily reflect human immunity.
“It can take decades from the start of vaccine development to FDA approval at huge cost,” says Ofer Levy, MD, PhD, a physician and researcher in the Division of Infectious Diseases at Boston Children’s Hospital. “We are working on making the process faster and more affordable.”
A variety of new strategies are emerging to facilitate vaccine development and delivery:
1. Modular approaches to vaccine production
The Multiple Antigen Presenting System (MAPS) is one innovative modular method to more efficiently produce vaccines that provide robust immunity. …