A Welcome Revival of Vaccine Research
This article was originally published in SRA
Executive Summary
Every once in a while, public health needs intersect with new technology and there is an advance in human health. This may be happening in the area of vaccines where there has been visible progress in developing new platform technologies for producing and delivering vaccines. This applies to both prophylactic vaccines, which are designed to prevent disease by producing an immune response, and therapeutic vaccines, which treat existing diseases. The threat of a flu pandemic is partially driving this innovation. But big manufacturers are also beginning to see new markets open up to treat adolescents and the elderly in addition to the traditional paediatric population.