{"id":512780,"date":"2026-06-26T21:48:12","date_gmt":"2026-06-26T21:48:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/512780\/"},"modified":"2026-06-26T21:48:12","modified_gmt":"2026-06-26T21:48:12","slug":"ai-designed-universal-vaccine-shows-promise","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/512780\/","title":{"rendered":"AI-Designed &#8216;Universal&#8217; Vaccine Shows Promise"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img alt=\"(Dreamstime)\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"600\" height=\"500\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\" class=\"rounded-lg\" style=\"color:transparent\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/e146d2c7dd2d15f123c347b8d88b534d.jpeg\"\/><\/p>\n<p>(Dreamstime)<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Researchers have successfully tested an artificial intelligence-designed vaccine that could one day protect against a broad range of coronaviruses, including SARS-CoV-2, SARS, and related viruses with pandemic potential.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">The experimental vaccine, called pEVAC-PS, was developed by researchers affiliated with the University of Southampton, the University of Cambridge, and DIOSynVax Ltd.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Unlike traditional vaccines that target a single virus strain, pEVAC-PS uses a synthetic &#8220;super-antigen&#8221; created with the help of AI-powered computer modeling. The vaccine is designed to train the immune system to recognize features shared by many coronaviruses, potentially providing protection against both existing viruses and future variants.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">In its first human trial, the vaccine was tested in 39 healthy adults and was found to be safe and well tolerated, with no significant side effects. It was delivered as a DNA vaccine using a needle-free intradermal injection system.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">According to Healthline, the needle-free delivery method could reduce the need for specialized equipment while lowering the risk of needle-related injuries and infections.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Researchers at the\u00a0University of Cambridge\u00a0reported that the vaccine generated immune responses not only against SARS-CoV-2 and the virus that causes SARS, but also against related bat coronaviruses that could potentially spill over into humans and trigger future outbreaks.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">The researchers say vaccines designed this way could provide broader protection against emerging viral threats while reducing the need for frequent reformulation\u2014a key limitation of many current vaccines.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">&#8220;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 &#8216;reactive&#8217; vaccine system struggles to keep pace,&#8221; said Saul Faust from the University of Southampton, the trial&#8217;s chief investigator.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">&#8220;This new class of universal vaccines are future-proofed. They not only protect against many variants simultaneously, but potentially against related viruses that haven&#8217;t yet emerged and spilt over to humans.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">&#8220;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.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Experts caution, however, that the study was a small Phase 1 clinical trial designed primarily to evaluate safety, not effectiveness. Larger studies will be needed to determine whether the vaccine can prevent infection or illness in people.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">If future trials are successful, AI-designed vaccines like pEVAC-PS could represent a new approach to preparing for future pandemics by targeting entire families of viruses rather than individual strains.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">\u00a9 2026 NewsmaxHealth. All rights reserved.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"(Dreamstime) Researchers have successfully tested an artificial intelligence-designed vaccine that could one day protect against a broad range&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":512781,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[86513,235135,235134,163,85,46,71170,21958,4051],"class_list":["post-512780","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-health","tag-coronaviruses","tag-dna-vaccine","tag-experimental-vaccine","tag-health","tag-il","tag-israel","tag-university-of-cambridge","tag-university-of-southampton","tag-viruses"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/512780","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=512780"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/512780\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/512781"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=512780"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=512780"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=512780"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}