Advances in Vaccine Technology Continue to Save Lives
- By Patrick M. Schmidt
DESPITE GROWING vaccine skepticism, vaccination continues to be a highly effective public health intervention, saving an estimated four to five million lives per year. With advances in research and development, an increasing number of vaccines are becoming available to prevent diseases — from coronavirus to respiratory syncytial virus, influenza, sexually transmitted diseases, diseases endemic to foreign countries and more.
Recently, with the growing number of individuals affected by autoimmune diseases, researchers are investigating how vaccines can teach the immune system to tolerate itself. In our article “Can Inverse Vaccines Cure Autoimmunity?” (p.18), we explain how, in contrast to traditional vaccines that teach the body to turn on an immune response to a foreign antigen, inverse vaccines teach the body to turn off an unwanted immune response — one that causes the body to attack itself as in the case of autoimmunity. Also known as tolerogenic vaccines, we examine some of the research behind them. And, while there remain challenges, there is promise that these vaccines might eventually be the cure for diseases such as multiple sclerosis, type 1 diabetes, celiac disease and more.
Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) continue to plague society, and while we’ve come a long way in preventing STIs with vaccines, their incidence and prevalence remain high. We take a look at the research investigating new vaccines, as well as efforts to expand the reach of current vaccines in our article “STIs: New Vaccines and Expanding Recommendations” (p.22) — specifically pertaining to gonorrhea, human papillomavirus and hepatitis B. Hopefully, these diseases that pose serious health consequences can be made a thing of the past.
More Americans are traveling post-pandemic, so the need to protect against serious illness from diseases endemic to foreign regions is greater than ever. As we explain in our article “Travel Vaccines: What’s Needed and Why?” (p.26), Americans are most susceptible to mosquito-borne viruses, bacterial diseases and viral zoonotic diseases. Fortunately, vaccines approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration are available for the most prevalent diseases, with recent approvals for chikungunya. And, clinical trials are in progress for malaria, yellow fever and Zika virus. But, to be protected, Americans must adhere to the CDC Yellow Book, which lists the vaccines needed by region and when.
The mRNA platform is showing great promise for many diseases, but now, it is being harnessed to fight what many are concerned could turn into a bird flu pandemic. In our article “Avian Flu and Human Vaccines: Where Things Stand” (p.50), we discuss the current state of the avian influenza outbreak, the current government-stockpiled bird flu vaccines and the advanced mRNA vaccine development initiatives by the industry’s leading vaccine manufacturers. Unlike other vaccine technologies, mRNA vaccines can be quickly updated and manufactured on a large scale.
As always, we hope you enjoy the additional articles in this issue of BioSupply Trends Quarterly, and find them both relevant and helpful to your practice.
Helping Healthcare Care,
Patrick M. Schmidt
Publisher
