2020 Sinica Open House Activity

The invention of vaccine has vastly improved human welfare and public health by improving preparedness to infectious outbreaks, and the development of COVID-19 vaccine is one of the most important topics amidst the present pandemic. As clinical trials of COVID-19 vaccine candidates advance at a record-breaking speed, concerns regarding the safety, efficacy, and even the viability of an effective vaccine continue to emerge, however. What are the challenges of vaccine development? And among the numerous vaccine platforms in development, including mRNA, DNA, viral vectors, inactivated viruses, and subunit vaccines, what are the differences and individual strengths? The talk will provide an overview on the working mechanism of vaccines, its development roadmap, the evolution of vaccine categories, the specific challenges regarding COVID-19 vaccines, as well as new opportunities brought forth by emerging vaccine platforms.