Innovations in Vaccine Science and Technology

Chapter 23 reviews the history and innovations in vaccine science, emphasizing their role in extending human lifespans from 25–35 years in prehistoric times to over 73 years today. Early immunity attempts involved variolation, a risky practice using live smallpox virus, until Edward Jenner introduced vaccination in 1796 with cowpox material. Louis Pasteur’s rabies vaccine in 1885 marked the first laboratory-developed attenuated virus vaccine, followed by inactivated vaccines in the 1920s and Jonas Salk’s polio vaccine in 1955. The 1980s brought recombinant DNA vaccines, such as hepatitis B, which use pathogen-derived proteins rather than whole organisms. The latest breakthrough is mRNA technology, pioneered by Katalin Karikó and Drew Weissman, enabling rapid, adaptable vaccine development, exemplified by COVID-19 vaccines from Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna. Vaccination rates have grown exponentially, with a sharp rise during the COVID-19 pandemic, making vaccines a cornerstone of modern medicine and a critical defense against future pandemics.