A toolbox of advanced technologies for next generation vaccines
To prevent and possibly eliminate emerging and unresolved infectious diseases such as influenza and tuberculosis, there is a need to harness the potential of the human immune system. The EU ADITEC (Advanced immunization technologies) project has enabled this ambitious goal by adopting a multidisciplinary, systems biology approach to develop the necessary powerful immunisation technologies.
Adaptation to a dynamic pool of diseases and environments
Prof. Donata Medaglini, the project’s scientific coordinator, explains how scientists from 42 partner institutions in 13 different European countries and USA joined forces to achieve this. ‘Specific results, such as novel immunisation technologies, adjuvants, vectors and delivery systems, optimised formulations and vaccination methods for different age groups, all came together in a toolbox of advanced technologies enabling the best possible insight into fighting diseases.’
ADITEC has also made the new technologies broadly available. The ADITEC biobank that stores samples from trials is available, not only to the ADITEC partners, but to the whole scientific community. Prof. Medaglini points out that ‘this has evolved into a new collaborative ecosystem where the European scientific and industrial sector acts as an enterprise that is able to lead innovation globally.’