Pioneering advances in vaccine research.
The Wellcome Trust commissioned Fact & Story to create content that would help change the global narrative around the benefits of immunisation. We researched, identified, interviewed, scripted, produced and delivered a series of animated films celebrating pioneering new advances in vaccines research, platforms and technology, that may go on to help protect the lives of millions of people in the future.
The future of vaccines: micro-patches will make vaccines more accessible than ever.
Vaccines are one of our most important health tools, saving millions of lives each year. They usually require new patients to visit clinics to receive them, leaving the world’s most marginalised communities exposed to infectious disease. Vaccine micro-patches could change that. Cheap to make, easy to store and requiring no specialist training to administer - this makes them a potential life saver for hard-to-reach communities.
The future of vaccines: technology is fast-tracking vaccine development from years to months.
Vaccine development traditionally takes many years, even decades to be completed. This is problematic when we are trying to develop a vaccine to protect us from novel threats like COVID-19. However, that could all change using new platform technologies that utilise new ways to develop vaccines. Hear from Professor Robin Shattock at Imperial College London about a new platform technology they are using to help develop new vaccines faster.
The future of vaccines: iris scanning technology is helping to contain outbreaks like Ebola.
Two effective vaccines have been instrumental in helping to contain the second largest Ebola outbreak in Central Africa. But in places with high movement of people and lacking in health infrastructure, how could immunisation workers track who had received the required multiple doses of the Ebola vaccine? Iris scanning technology has helped create digital records to help with that.
The future of vaccines: human infection studies are helping us to develop better vaccines, faster.
The infection caused by the Shigella bacteria is a leading cause of death for young children globally. Scientists in Kenya are working to develop a vaccine to prevent Shigella using human infection studies – volunteers are deliberately infected with the bacteria, in a controlled environment to test the efficacy of a potential vaccine. By using human infection studies the researchers will be able to determine whether the vaccine works, and to more quickly understand the immunity it might provide.
The future of vaccines - preventing a little known potentially devastating childhood disease.
Research and innovation may finally be paving the way to create a vaccine to protect against Respiratory Syncytial Virus, the leading cause of death in children aged under one globally.
