12 Vaccine Candidates for Novel Pathogens

This chapter reviews recent progress in developing vaccine platforms and other techniques to formulate vaccine candidates, especially in actual and potential pandemic emergencies. Innovative medical countermeasure (MCM) designs and manufacturing technologies currently in use to combat COVID-19 are primary examples, along with future approaches. Better understanding of viral structure and self-assembly, intended target proteins, and conserved but vulnerable viral epitopes, as well as immune system reactions to viral infection, is foundational to preparedness for the emergence of novel or variant pathogens and rapid development of new MCMs. The prototype pathogen approach to MCM development promotes advance development of vaccine candidates incorporating critical, innovative safety and immunogenicity features into designs based on a well-informed target product profile.