Vaccines

Scientists at Harvard University have developed a new type of cancer vaccine that was combined with chemotherapy to prove highly effective in mice, eliminating the cancer cells and stopping them from coming back for some time after.

The flu virus mutates quickly and unpredictably, making it hard to develop effective vaccines. Now, researchers have created a drug that protects mice against six different strains of the flu, potentially paving the way for a universal flu vaccine.

Although it's crucial that people get vaccinated against tuberculosis, the vaccine isn't always very effective – at least, not when injected through the skin. New research, however, shows that it works much better when delivered directly into a vein.

A new study has described the successful results in mice of a novel vaccine designed to prevent neurodegeneration associated with Alzheimer’s disease. The researchers suggest this "dementia vaccine" could become the “breakthrough of the next decade.”

MIT researchers have designed a microneedle patch that can administer both a vaccine and quantum dots that sit under the skin for years at a time, essentially storing a person's vaccine history on their own body.

Impressive research has verified a long-held hypothesis called immune amnesia, demonstrating how infection by the measles virus can remove pre-existing immune system protections, leaving a person vulnerable to other infections for several years.

The final results of a Phase 2b human trial into the efficacy of a new tuberculosis (TB) vaccine have been published, indicating safe long-term protection from the devastating disease in around half of the subjects vaccinated.

Facebook is rolling out its latest new idea across the US – a preventative health tool that draws on information from several independent organizations and is designed to remind users when their health checkups are due and where to go to get them.

In a milestone for humanity, the World Health Organization has officially announced the global eradication of wild poliovirus type 3. One strain of the virus remains, with small numbers of cases continuing to be reported in Pakistan and Afghanistan.

A novel herpes vaccine has achieved a nearly 100-percent success rate in animal testing, with researchers hoping to soon move into human safety and efficacy trials.

Recent trials have shown a new flu vaccine skin patch to be effective at boosting immunity against the virus.

A study is offering the first evidence in humans to suggest depletion of gut microbiome diversity by antibiotics can reduce the efficacy of a vaccination.