Vaccine

A vaccine is a biological preparation that improves immunity to a particular disease. A vaccine typically contains an agent that resembles a disease-causing microorganism, and is often made from weakened or killed forms of the microbe. The agent stimulates the body's immune system to recognize the agent as foreign, destroy it, and "remember" it, so that the immune system can more easily recognize and destroy any of these microorganisms that it later encounters.

Aluminum in Vaccines: Mechanisms, Myths, and Safety Data

This article explains how aluminum adjuvants work in vaccines, their proven safety record, and addresses common myths and scientific findings. It also highlights new developments in vaccine adjuvant technology and the ongoing need for rigorous monitoring.

Vaccine Immunity

Vaccine History

What are Adenovirus-Based Vaccines?

What are the Different Types of Vaccines?

What is an Inactivated Vaccine?

What is Immunobridging?

What is a DNA Vaccine?

History of Vaccination

A New Breed of Vaccine: Exploring Doggybone ™ DNA Technology

Hib Immunization

What is a Live-Attenuated Vaccine?

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How are Vaccines Stored?

Transforming Vaccine Design: The Promise of Systems Biology

What are the Main Causes of Vaccine Hesitancy?

Investigating the Importance of Investing in Vaccine Manufacturing

Vaccination in Humanitarian Settings

Vaccine Excipients

Vaccine Effectiveness

Vaccine Schedule

What is a Vaccine Breakthrough?

Plant-Derived Vaccines

What are Vaccines?

Could there be a Salmonella Vaccine?

How Veterinary Vaccines Affect Human Health

The Future of Vaccines

The Essential Program on Immunization is 50: Milestones, achievements, and future directions

What is a Subunit Vaccine?

What is the Importance of Vaccination Coverage?

Vaccine Delivery

What the Newest mRNA Vaccines Could Do Beyond COVID

What is a Non-Replicating Vaccine?

Insight into Personalized Vaccines

Role of Computer Modeling in Vaccine Development

Vaccine Production

What is a Toxoid Vaccine?

What is a VLP Vaccine?

The Big Catch-Up: How the COVID-19 pandemic impacted vaccination coverage

What is an RNA Vaccine?

Immunization strategies: What lessons can we learn from successful campaigns?

What are Nanoparticle-Based Vaccines?

Latest Vaccine News and Research

Prime and pull vaccine approach prevents genital herpes infection

Genital herpes is a lifelong infection. While available treatments can manage symptoms, they cannot cure the infection or prevent transmission.

22 Jun 2026

Scientists discover protective antibodies with potential to treat West Nile virus

West Nile virus (WNV) is transmitted by mosquitoes and is increasingly relevant for Europe and worldwide. It can cause severe brain infection and death, yet there is no specific antiviral treatment or approved human vaccine.

22 Jun 2026

New vaccines successfully boost frontline immune cells against HIV

T-cells are the immune system's frontline defenders with a crucial role in controlling HIV. In a milestone clinical trial published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation, researchers with the UNC Institute for Global Health and Infectious Diseases (IGHID) at the UNC School of Medicine have demonstrated that new vaccines can significantly boost T cells targeting the most vulnerable, conserved regions of HIV-areas considered key to effective immune control.

22 Jun 2026

How clinicians can identify and manage Ebola, hantavirus

Two deadly infectious diseases, Ebola https://www.cmaj.ca/lookup/doi/10.1503/cmaj.260834 and hantavirus https://www.cmaj.ca/lookup/doi/10.1503/cmaj.260789, have made headlines in recent weeks as they pose serious threats to public health.

22 Jun 2026

Aging immune cells may explain why autoimmunity rises later in life

A new Review reveals how aging can push the immune system into a paradoxical state, weaker against threats yet more prone to attacking the body’s own tissues.

21 Jun 2026

HPV vaccination linked to sharp decline in cervical cancer deaths

High-income countries that initiated widespread administration of the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) vaccine in the mid-2000s have experienced substantial declines in cervical cancer cases, marking a significant achievement in medicine.

18 Jun 2026

New mRNA vaccine shrinks neuroblastoma tumors in preclinical study

A new study from RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences demonstrates a novel approach in anticancer vaccine development. Results present the first preclinical evidence to show the efficacy of an mRNA vaccine in targeting neuroblastoma, the deadliest childhood cancer.

18 Jun 2026

Scientists design artificial protein structures using advanced AI tools

An international research team led by a Korean scientist has succeeded in designing large-scale protein structures that faithfully replicate the self-assembly principles found in naturally occurring viruses, using artificial intelligence (AI).

18 Jun 2026

Emergency departments could help boost annual flu vaccination rates

A University of California, Riverside-led study of more than 3,200 emergency department (ED) patients across the United States found that while awareness of influenza vaccination is widespread, most adults seen in EDs are not up to date on their annual flu vaccine.

17 Jun 2026

WashU study identifies shared target for a new diarrhea vaccine

The bacteria enterotoxigenic E. coli and Shigella together cause hundreds of millions of infections each year and are among the leading causes of diarrheal death, especially in children.

17 Jun 2026

Houston Methodist study reveals how strep bacterium causes infection

A fast-rising strep bacterium has become increasingly notorious for causing serious infections in humans, including complications that can lead to muscle damage and patient death. New Houston Methodist research appearing in The American Journal of Pathology, published by Elsevier, sheds light on how Streptococcus dysgalactiae subspecies equisimilis (SDSE) causes disease and may provide important insights to aid in vaccine development.

17 Jun 2026

Targeted vaccination strategies strengthen global biosecurity and biosafety

Biosafety prevents biohazard risks to humans and the environment, biosecurity protects biological assets from misuse, and One Health is an interdisciplinary framework uniting human, animal, and environmental health—all core to global health protection.

17 Jun 2026

Maternal RSV vaccine shows 68% protection against infant RSV hospitalization

In a test-negative case-control study of 274 hospitalized infants aged 90 days or younger, maternal RSVpreF vaccination was associated with 67.6% effectiveness against RSV-associated acute respiratory illness hospitalization. Protection was similar against RSV-linked lower respiratory tract disease, with the highest point estimate in the first month of life, although confidence intervals were wide.

16 Jun 2026

New mRNA flu vaccine offers broader protection against influenza strains

A new study led by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis has found that an investigational mRNA influenza vaccine helps the immune system recognize a wider range of influenza viruses than today's standard flu shot, offering stronger and potentially longer-lasting protection.

15 Jun 2026

Australia’s diphtheria outbreak shows why boosters, antibiotics, and better housing all matter

A 131-case diphtheria outbreak in Australia’s Northern Territory showed how toxigenic Corynebacterium diphtheriae can re-emerge even in highly vaccinated populations. Genomic and epidemiological evidence linked most cases to a dominant ST381 strain, with transmission shaped by overcrowding, poor skin health, and persistent health inequities.

15 Jun 2026

New poll reveals how politics reshaped trust in U.S. public health

A Harvard Chan/de Beaumont national poll of 2,205 U.S. adults found CDC trust dropped to 50% one year into new federal public health leadership, while state and local health agencies remained more trusted.

14 Jun 2026

New poll reveals political divide over public water fluoridation

As the debate over the value of adding fluoride to public drinking water percolates in communities across the nation, a new nationally representative survey from the Annenberg Public Policy Center (APPC) of the University of Pennsylvania finds Americans sharply divided over the use of fluoride in public drinking water.

12 Jun 2026

Antibody profiles offer insights into long Covid cognitive symptoms

Persistent symptoms after COVID-19 infection continue to affect millions of people worldwide, even as the number of acute infections has declined.

12 Jun 2026

Experimental vaccine protects against fentanyl and related opioids

Fentanyl and related variants of the synthetic opioid kill more Americans each year than car accidents and gun violence combined. In too-high doses, the drugs hijack brain chemistry and shut down the signals that control breathing.

11 Jun 2026

Leading AI models ace many vaccine questions but falter on clinical rules

A multilingual benchmark of 1,886 vaccine-related questions found that large language models answered most items accurately across English, Spanish, and Chinese. However, performance varied by vaccine type, language, and prompting method, with persistent errors in dosing, contraindications, age eligibility, and other clinically sensitive guidance.

11 Jun 2026