Trend Universal vaccine platforms for rapid response to emerging infectious diseases

Summary

Universal vaccine platform technology designs and produces vaccines that apply across multiple infectious diseases or viruses rather than a single pathogen or variant. Its scope spans conserved antigen design, immune response optimisation, modular delivery vehicles, rapid production with quality control, and standardised efficacy evaluation across pathogens. KISTEP expects the convergence of a US NIH universal platform, which targets approval in 2029, with mRNA technology whose patents expire in 2030 to accelerate next-generation vaccines that respond quickly to diverse pathogens. With such platforms Korea could produce its own vaccines when new or variant infections appear and secure a self-reliant crisis response system. Standardised processes and technology transfer could let low and middle income countries make their own vaccines, and extension to cancer and rare diseases could make the platform a growth engine for high-value biotechnology.