Vaccines for diseases such as tuberculosis and a 'new pandemic' could be on horizon

dailyrecord.co.uk:

Scientists in the UK have started work on developing vaccines against a new pandemic caused by an unknown "Disease X".A state-of-the-art vaccine research facility, where scientists will work to ensure future pandemics are stopped in their tracks and do not cause the same disruption to everyday life as Covid-19, has been unveiled by the Government.Scientists will test emerging Covid-19 jabs on new variants, target diseases such as tuberculosis (TB), and are currently running phase one clinical trials on a potential world-first jab against Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever, a tick-borne virus which is fatal in about 30% of cases.The Vaccine Development and Evaluation Centre (VDEC) is based at the UK Health and Security Agency (UKHSA) science and defence technology campus Porton Down, near Salisbury in Wiltshire.Live viruses will be kept on-site in specialist containment facilities, with researchers looking at pathogens that do not yet have a vaccine, or ones where immunisation could be improved, such as flu, mpox or hantavirus.Professor Dame Jenny Harries, chief executive of UKHSA, said: “What we’re trying to do now is capture that really excellent work from Covid and make sure we’re using that as we go forward for any new pandemic threats.”It is also hoped the facility will help the UK tackle “disease X” by enhancing preparedness for yet-to-be identified pathogens with pandemic potential.Scientists will look at viruses and bacteria they already know pose a threat and evaluate the effectiveness of existing vaccines against them.Dame Jenny said the term “disease X” is applied as scientists “don’t know what the next pathogen will be that will cause a pandemic” but said the UK needs “to be ready”.She added: “We don’t know what