The University of Oxford has recently announced an ambitious new project aimed at revolutionizing vaccine development. This initiative is supported by significant research funding of £118 million, which the university has secured through its strategic partnership with the Ellison Institute of Technology (EIT). The goal of this project is to develop innovative solutions to some of the most challenging infectious diseases that continue to threaten public health worldwide.
At the core of this new program is the Oxford Vaccine Group, a highly experienced and respected team within the university’s Department of Paediatrics. The project, named CoI-AI (Correlates of Immunity-Artificial Intelligence), aims to leverage modern technology and scientific expertise to enhance understanding of how the human immune system responds to various pathogens.
This initiative seeks to combine Oxford’s extensive knowledge in human challenge studies, immune science, and vaccine development with EIT’s cutting-edge artificial intelligence (AI) technology. This collaboration promises to pave the way for more effective and targeted approaches to preventing and controlling infectious diseases.
The research will focus on understanding how immune defenses react to some of the most problematic germs that cause severe infections and contribute to the rise of antibiotic resistance. These include bacteria such as Streptococcus pneumoniae, Staphylococcus aureus, and Escherichia coli, which are responsible for widespread illnesses and have become resistant to traditional vaccine strategies.
To achieve this, scientists will use human challenge models, where volunteers are carefully and safely exposed to bacteria within controlled environments. This approach allows researchers to observe immune responses directly and in detail. By integrating modern immunology techniques with advanced AI tools, the team hopes to identify the immune responses that are most predictive of protection, thereby informing the development of more effective vaccines.
In December 2024, Oxford University and EIT announced a strategic alliance aimed at fostering long-term collaboration. This partnership aims not only to develop innovative solutions for pressing health challenges but also to cultivate the next generation of scientific leaders. EIT’s unique approach combines advanced research capabilities with a strong commercial focus, striving to generate sustainable and ethically grounded scientific breakthroughs. The alliance brings together diverse talents and expertise across multiple fields, including generative biology, clinical medicine, plant science, sustainable energy, and public policy.
Supporting these endeavors is a robust computing infrastructure facilitated by Oracle, along with a world-class artificial intelligence team. Additionally, the partnership includes a Scholars program dedicated to nurturing the next wave of the world’s top scientists. Through these combined efforts, Oxford and EIT are working together to address some of the most enduring and complex health challenges of their time, all with the goal of improving global health. outcomes.
KEY QUOTES:
“This programme addresses one of the most urgent problems in infectious disease by helping us to understand immunity more deeply to develop innovative vaccines against deadly diseases that have so far evaded our attempts at prevention. By combining advanced immunology with artificial intelligence, and using human challenge models to study diseases, CoI-AI will provide the tools we need to tackle serious infections and reduce the growing threat of antibiotic resistance. This is a new frontier in vaccine science.”
Professor Andrew Pollard, Director of the Oxford Vaccine Group
“This programme will give us completely new tools to study how vaccines work at both a cellular and system-wide level, by studying infections in real time, in people, and using smart immunology tools and data to find the answers. This will open up whole new avenues to vaccine design as we improve our understanding of infection and immunity.”
Professor Daniela Ferreira, Deputy Director of the Oxford Vaccine Group
“Researchers in the CoI-AI programme will use Artificial Intelligence models developed at EIT to identify and better understand the immune responses that predict protection. This vaccine development programme combines Oxford’s leadership in immunology and human challenge models with cutting-edge AI, laying the groundwork for a new era of vaccine discovery – one that is faster, smarter, and better able to respond to infectious disease outbreaks throughout the world.”
Larry Ellison, Chairman of the Ellison Institute of Technology
“This is a major step forward in our strategic alliance with the Ellison Institute. Together, we’re combining Oxford’s strengths in vaccine science with EIT’s bold vision to tackle some of the toughest problems in global health. This is about drawing more talent and capacity to the Oxford ecosystem to turn scientific challenges into real solutions for the world.”
Professor Irene Tracey, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Oxford
