In 2020, vaccine developers found themselves building large, multidisciplinary teams to solve the problem of how to protect the world against a virus that had only just been identified and was causing widespread devastation. Drawing on extensive collective experience, assisted by prioritisation of funding, availability of research and clinical facilities and the acceleration of regulatory review, multiple vaccines were licensed and rolled out across the world in record time.
This lecture will discuss what vaccine research is now needed, and what the prospects are for a faster response next time.