Researchers at the University of Cambridge in the UK have developed a new vaccine technology. Verified through mouse experiments, it can provide immune protection against various coronaviruses that may cause disease outbreaks in the future, including those that people are not yet aware of. This is a new method of vaccine development called "active vaccine science", which enables scientists to develop corresponding vaccines before pathogens appear. The research results are published in the new issue of the journal Nature Nanotechnology. Traditional vaccines typically use a single antigen to train the immune system against specific viruses, which may not be able to prevent multiple existing coronaviruses or emerging pathogens. The working principle of the new vaccine is to train the human immune system to recognize specific regions of eight different coronaviruses. The key to its effectiveness lies in the fact that the vaccine targets specific viral regions, which also exist in many related coronaviruses. By training the immune system to attack these areas, protection can be provided against other coronaviruses not included in the vaccine, including those that have not yet been identified. Researchers pointed out that scientists rapidly developed the COVID-19 vaccine during the last pandemic, but the world still faces a huge crisis. People need to figure out how to optimize their response strategies, and one important means is to develop vaccines that can respond to multiple new pathogens in advance. This vaccine called "Quartet Nanocage" is based on a nanoparticle structure, which uses a new type of "protein strong gel" to connect the chain structures of different viral antigens to the nanoparticle. These chain structures contain multiple antigens and can effectively train the immune system to target specific regions shared by multiple coronaviruses. The new vaccine has triggered a wide range of immune responses in pre vaccinated mice, and its design is much simpler than other widely protective vaccines currently under development, which will accelerate its entry into clinical trials. More than two hundred years ago, the world's first vaccine was born in the long-term exploration of human efforts to combat smallpox. Since then, influenza vaccine, poliomyelitis vaccine, COVID-19 vaccine and many other vaccines have come out, becoming powerful weapons for people to deal with different viruses. It must be acknowledged that traditional vaccines mainly use passive defense methods, that is, using a single antigen to respond to specific viruses that have already emerged. The COVID-19 epidemic that has ravaged the world reminds people that in the face of evolving viruses, even new viruses that have not yet emerged, it may be a better strategy to take the initiative. In the war against various viruses without gunpowder, the emergence of "active vaccines" is expected to help humanity's epidemic prevention weapons to be replaced as soon as possible. (Lai Xin She)