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Health

First universal coronavirus vaccine will start human trials this year

By Graham Lawton

24 February 2021

91av. Science news and long reads from expert journalists, covering developments in science, technology, health and the environment on the website and the magazine.

SARS-CoV-2 viral particles (blue) penetrate a human cell

National Infection Service/Science Photo Library

THE coronavirus sweeping around the world isn’t the first to make the leap into humans and it won’t be the last. Vaccines against SARS-CoV-2 were developed in record time and are performing well. But now we urgently need a different kind of vaccine, say scientists: one that will protect us against other coronaviruses, even those we haven’t met yet.

It is a daunting challenge, yet work has already begun on creating such a universal vaccine, with the first human trials of potential candidates planned to start later…

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