On Wednesday, Dr. Anthony Fauci, along with two other top federal researchers, outlined a path to develop a new universal coronavirus vaccine that could tackle a variety of ailments like COVID-19, some common colds, and future viruses.
The research was published in the New England Journal of Medicine, and with his two colleagues, Fauci wrote that the virus responsible for causing COVID-19 would most likely not be eliminated with current vaccines being too limited to prevent the emergence of new variants.
Fauci was joined in the research by Dr. David Morens and Dr. Jeffery Taubenberger, all of whom are high-ranking doctors at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, NBC News reported.
The authors went on to suggest that different coronaviruses are likely to come from other animals, possibly becoming future pandemic threats.
How do the authors suggest this problem be resolved? They suggested that having the research world “fully commit” to creating a “second-generation” of coronavirus vaccines that would give protection across the genetic spectrum of coronavirus could serve as a resolution.
This would include collecting animal coronavirus samples internationally through a global effort to create ethical challenge trials for coronaviruses. By doing so, the authors think that it will help develop a universal vaccine.
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The effort to create a universal vaccine comes after four deadly coronavirus outbreaks in the last 20 years. This included two bouts with SARS in the early 2000s, MERS in 2012 and COVID-19.
Still, despite Fauci helping outline the path, there is no quick fix for the pandemic. Still, the doctor’s endorsement of the universal vaccine approach could force other scientists to put the work in.
This is not the first time a universal vaccine has been discussed, as scientists have looked to create a universal shot against influence for more than a decade.
After the National Institutes of Health announced in September that it would be investing more than $36 million in university efforts for vaccines to combat numerous coronaviruses, Fauci stressed the challenges this might bring.
“We are certainly making it a high priority,” Fauci said to The Washington Post. “There are fundamental scientific challenges before you can actually make a full-court press on this. It isn’t as if you have a clear pathway into a product and all you have to do is dump more resources into it.”
