Vaccines

Vaccination is a life-saving intervention, infections that once killed millions are now preventable. But there is still work to be done, many pathogens remain and there are still infections against which we have little defence.

In 1796, English physician Edward Jenner introduced the first vaccine, for smallpox, when he infected a young boy with cowpox. In the years since, vaccines — a name derived from the Latin word for cow — have been developed for many diseases, saving millions of lives. But the fight to conquer infectious disease continues.

A vaccine candidate for HIV steps into phase III trials, signs emerge that antibiotics impair vaccine performance, and other highlights from clinical trials and laboratory studies.

Infants and those over 65 are at the highest risk of infectious disease. A better understanding of age-specific immunity is needed to design vaccines that work for them.

As the first vaccine against the malaria parasite begins to roll out, scientists are working on a wide variety of alternatives that they hope will provide more protection.

Microbiologist Jeffrey Bethony details progress in efforts to protect people from hookworms and schistosomiasis.

Passing on short-term immunity to offspring is common in vertebrates, but plants and invertebrates take transgenerational immunity much further.

Anthropologist Heidi Larson calls for dialogue to reassure people about the safety and efficacy of vaccines.

When immunization rates dip, legislation is often strengthened. But does the evidence stack up?

The universal flu vaccine remains elusive, but there are several strategies that scientists can take to develop one, including closer monitoring of viral evolution.

One strategy to counter the rise of antimicrobial resistance is the development of vaccines against resistant pathogens, preventing further infection and spread of antimicrobial resistance.

Darrell Irvine provides an overview of the recent advances in materials science that have enabled the use of innovative natural and synthetic compounds in vaccine development capable of regulating the potency and safety of new vaccines progressing towards the clinic.

Immunotherapy offers a promising approach to treating a range of complications. This Review discusses strategies that employ bioengineering and immunological principles to develop engineered tissues for screening therapeutics and treating diseases.

Promising immunizations for diseases that affect mostly people in low- and middle-income countries need help getting to market, urge David C. Kaslow and colleagues.

mRNA vaccines represent a promising alternative to conventional vaccine approaches, but their application has been hampered by instability and delivery issues. Here, Pardi and colleagues discuss recent advances in mRNA vaccine technology, assess mRNA vaccines currently in development for cancer and infectious diseases and consider future directions and challenges.

The generation of an HIV vaccine remains the holy grail for eliminating HIV infection worldwide. Major advances in 2018 centred on sequential multi-immunogen strategies that are designed to induce broadly neutralizing antibodies, identifying new targets and defining new approaches to immunogen evaluation.

Vaccine trials against Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) are showing encouraging results. This Review discusses current Mtb vaccine design in the light of new insights into the immunology of tuberculosis infection.