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A bold new approach to vaccine design could bring us closer to an “all-in-one” shot against some of the world’s most dangerous and fast-mutating viruses. The Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) has awarded up to $5 million to U.S. biotech start-up Centivax to take its pioneering pan-influenza vaccine candidate, Centi-flu, into first-in-human trials. The project aims to prove that Centivax’s technology can generate broad and long-lasting protection, not just against current flu strains, but also against future variants and potentially other fast-changing viruses like HIV and coronaviruses.
Unlike traditional vaccines, which usually target spike proteins that mutate quickly, Centivax’s method—called epitope focusing—directs the immune system toward viral “Achilles’ heel” regions that rarely change. Preclinical studies have shown that Centi-flu can generate immunity spanning over a century’s worth of flu strains, including the deadly 1918 pandemic flu and today’s circulating H5N1 bird flu. If confirmed in human trials, this could lay the foundation for broad-spectrum vaccines that protect against entire virus families, reducing the need for constant reformulation and annual updates.
CEPI sees this as a proof-of-concept for its ambitious 100 Days Mission, which aims to shrink vaccine development timelines to within three months of detecting a new threat. Experts like Dr. Kent Kester of CEPI stress that traditional “whack-a-mole” responses to rapidly evolving viruses are too slow and costly, whereas broad-spectrum vaccines could “future-proof” humanity against pandemics. Centivax’s CEO, Dr. Jacob Glanville, agrees, arguing that such vaccines could “end the pandemic era” by finally outpacing viral evolution.
If successful, the Centivax platform could be expanded to cover high-risk viral families such as filoviruses, which include Ebola and Marburg, enabling single “one-and-done” vaccines to replace multiple shots. Beyond influenza, this innovation could transform epidemic preparedness, ensuring faster, fairer, and more effective protection worldwide. CEPI and Centivax have pledged equitable access to the results, with data published open access to benefit the global scientific community.
