Say Goodbye to Booster Shots – New Vaccine Technology for Long-Lasting Protection

A single vaccination that provides protection for many years – so far, this has rarely been possible with vaccines against respiratory pathogens. While many vaccines offer long-term protection against severe illness, protection against rapidly mutating pathogens—such as influenza viruses or SARS-CoV-2—wanes quickly. Regular booster shots are therefore often necessary. Dr. Henning Jacobsen and Casper Silvis from the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research want to change that. As part of the ENDURIVAC project, they are developing a vaccine technology designed to provide long-lasting protection after just one dose. Their vector is the murine cytomegalovirus: It cannot make humans ill but is intended to continuously train the immune system using selected antigens. In this episode of InFact, host Julia Demann talks to them about how the technology works, why it is initially being used to develop a vaccine against RSV – and whether booster shots could largely become unnecessary in the future.