Application of artificial intelligence in vaccine development against infectious diseases

Vaccine and vaccination are important components for the control of infectious diseases and reducing global mortality and morbidity. Vaccine development through existing traditional methods is often laborious, time-consuming and costly affair. However, the artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) techniques offer unprecedented opportunities to expedite the vaccine development process. AI/ML can offer the selection and design of immunogen, epitope prediction, adjuvant identification, immune simulation, and optimisation of vaccine delivery process. AI assisted computational approaches are capable of simulating the host’s immune system under different conditions and create predictive models to determine the novel targets for vaccine developments. Nevertheless, various challenges such as data heterogeneity, AI-model interpretation, and regulatory harmonization must be addressed to realise the full utilization of AI in new-generation vaccine development. Besides, the AI-aided vaccine designs must be considered for further in vitro and in vivo studies for their efficacy evaluation.