A recent study led by the World Health Organization (WHO) shows that global immunization efforts saved approximately 154 million lives during the past 50 years, and the majority of the lives saved were infants.1
Vaccines are a vitally important contribution to human health, reducing infant mortality and allowing people to live healthy lives. The WHO study found that with each life saved through immunization, an average of 66 years of full health were gained, totaling 10.2 billion full health years achieved over five decades.1
With the right investment, innovations in vaccine technology are poised to save more lives over the coming decades. Here are some exciting, innovative approaches poised to increase the impact of vaccines:
Advancing mRNA Technology
During the COVID-19 pandemic, mRNA biotechnology enabled Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech to quickly and effectively provide a global immunization response. mRNA vaccines use genetic code to produce an immune response, providing instructions to cells to produce disease-fighting proteins.2
Now, mRNA technology is being employed to fight other diseases and cancer. Researchers at Penn Medicine, which is a pioneer in this breakthrough technology, are exploring how mRNA vaccines can address influenza, HIV, and more.2
Improving Vaccine Delivery
The deployment of vaccines, especially to remote areas, can pose challenges. Many vaccines have specific storage and temperature requirements, and there may not be enough healthcare providers in some areas to successfully deliver vaccines. Microarray patches have the potential to drastically improve the accessibility of vaccines. These small patches are coated with the vaccine, and when pressed to the skin for several minutes, the formula dissolves, successfully delivering the vaccine without needles. In addition to being painless and not requiring cold storage temperatures, these patches can be applied by untrained health workers.3
Fighting Against Malaria
Malaria immunization research has been in development since the 1960s. According to the WHO, there were 263 million estimated cases of malaria globally in 2023, and the estimated number of deaths attributed to malaria was 597,000.4
Due to the complex life cycle of the malaria blood parasite, as well as the parasite’s genetic complexity, vaccine development has proven challenging.
More than a dozen vaccine candidates are in development, and two are approved for use in children under five who live in areas with significant malaria transmission. Current malaria vaccines reduce severe malaria by approximately 30% and mortality by 13%.5 The WHO now recommends the four-dose vaccine, RTS,S, to children under two in sub-Saharan Africa.6
Evidence shows that vaccines save lives. Researchers at the forefront of vaccine technology are fast-tracking groundbreaking approaches to improve effectiveness and delivery, making it possible to eradicate harmful diseases in the future. Investment in vaccine technology is critical to improving health globally.
Sources:
- https://www.who.int/news/item/24-04-2024-global-immunization-efforts-have-saved-at-least-154-million-lives-over-the-past-50-years
- https://www.pennmedicine.org/about/pioneering-the-future-of-medicine/mrna
- https://publichealth.jhu.edu/2023/game-changing-vaccine-developments
- https://www.who.int/data/gho/data/themes/malaria
- https://www.cdc.gov/malaria/php/public-health-strategy/malaria-vaccines.html
- https://ccp.jhu.edu/2021/10/11/vaccine-malaria-social-behavior-change
