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Published on January 23, 2025
MIT and Caltech's Breakthrough Future Proof Vaccine Targets Sarbecoviruses, Hope for Pandemic-Proof ProtectionSource: Unsplash/Viktor Forgacs

Scientists at MIT and Caltech have developed a new vaccine aimed at protecting against SARS-CoV-2 variants and other related viruses. The vaccine uses nanoparticles to attach multiple receptor-binding proteins, which triggers the production of broad antibodies, according to MIT News.

Researchers from MIT and Caltech are working on a vaccine to prevent future sarbecovirus outbreaks. Their "mosaic-8" vaccine includes eight versions of a virus protein that stay the same across different strains, helping the immune system fight the virus and reduce the chance of mutations. "This work is an example of how bringing together computation and immunological experiments can be fruitful," said Arup K. Chakraborty, as reported by MIT News.

Scientists developed a vaccine that showed strong protection in mice against both SARS-CoV-2 and the original SARS virus. They created stronger versions, with mosaic-7COM showing the best immune response, and plan to advance it to clinical trials. "We wanted to simulate the fact that people have already been infected and/or vaccinated against SARS-CoV-2," said Eric Wang of MIT. The research is funded by organizations like the National Institutes of Health and the Gates Foundation, aiming to improve vaccine technology for future pandemics, as stated by MIT News.