New process maps have been published to help researchers speed up new vaccine development and respond to epidemics and pandemics, using lessons learned from COVID-19.
The process maps were developed by the UK Vaccine Network (UKVN), in collaboration with the Medical Research Council, part of UK Research and Innovation. The process maps were originally produced in 2017, and then updated with the inclusion of the Rapid Human Vaccine Development Map in 2024. This update was led by Dr Michael Francis.
Until recently, human vaccine development has typically taken 10 to 15 years. But during the COVID-19 pandemic, vaccines like the Vaxzevria vaccine produced by the University of Oxford and AstraZeneca were developed and licensed within a single year.
The process maps includes a rapid human vaccine development (RHVD) case study created using the COVID-19 vaccine as an exemplar. It will build on this experience and use the lessons learned to help researchers boost capacity, avoid setbacks and respond rapidly to future health challenges and pandemics. The process map and case study will improve understanding of the key stages of drug development and where bottlenecks could possibly slow down progress.
UKVN is a research project funded by the Department of Health and Social Care and led by the Chief Medical Officer, Professor Chris Whitty, in collaboration with the Medical Research Council (MRC).
The platform supports the ‘100 Days Mission’ which was initiated during the UK’s G7 presidency. It aims to ensure that new vaccines should be ready for initial authorisation and manufacture at scale within 100 days. This will help to defuse the threat from a new pathogen with the potential to cause a pandemic.
Previous process maps and case studies have already been produced by UKVN based on the lessons learned from the development of vaccines for Mers, Zika and the Prokarium Vaxonella plague vaccine.
Professor Chris Whitty, Chair for the UKVN, said: “The vaccine development maps are a key tool for researchers working on vaccine development. Now updated with lessons learned on rapid vaccine development during the COVID-19 pandemic, I encourage anyone working in vaccinology to make use of this publicly available resource to progress our shared mission to develop accessible vaccines against epidemic diseases globally.”