Australia’s COVID-19 vaccine journey: progress and future perspectives

James A. Triccas; Megan C. Steain

doi:10.1071/MA24009

RESEARCH ARTICLE (Open Access)

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Australia’s COVID-19 vaccine journey: progress and future perspectives

James A. Triccas

^A ^B ^C ^* and Megan C. Steain

^A ^B ^C

+ Author Affiliations

- Author Affiliations

^A Sydney Infectious Diseases Institute (Sydney ID), Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW 2006, Australia.

^B School of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW 2006, Australia.

^C Charles Perkins Centre, The University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW 2006, Australia.

Professor James Triccas is a bacteriologist who uses a multidisciplinary approach to define immunity to chronic bacterial pathogens and develop new treatments to control infection. He is Professor of Medical Microbiology and Deputy Director of the Sydney Institute Infectious Diseases (Sydney ID) at The University of Sydney. He leads the recently established vaccine consortium comprising The University of Sydney, ExcellGene and Bharat Biotech, supported by the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), to develop a broadly protective SARS-CoV-2 vaccine.

Dr Megan Steain is a virologist with expertise in host-pathogen interactions and using viruses as vectors to address multiple health challenges. She is a senior lecturer in the Infection, Immunity and Inflammation theme within the School of Medical Sciences at The University of Sydney. She has over 20 years’ experience working with pathogenic human viruses, including HIV, SARS-CoV-2, varicella zoster virus, herpes simplex virus-1 and human cytomegalovirus.

^* Correspondence to: jamie.triccas@sydney.edu.au

Microbiology Australia 45(1) 27-31 https://doi.org/10.1071/MA24009

Submitted: 17 January 2024 Accepted: 28 February 2024 Published: 15 March 2024

© 2024 The Author(s) (or their employer(s)). Published by CSIRO Publishing on behalf of the ASM. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC)

Abstract

COVID-19 vaccines have played a pivotal role in reducing SARS-CoV-2 disease severity and mortality. However, evolutionary pressure has resulted in viral variants with increased fitness, greater capacity for immune evasion and higher infectivity. This evolution is exemplified by the emergence of the Omicron subvariants, all of which demonstrate significant escape from vaccine- or infection-induced immunity. Broadly protective vaccines are urgently needed to fight current, emerging and future SARS-CoV-2 variants. Australia is actively contributing to these efforts through the development of innovative vaccination approaches and vaccine delivery platforms.

Biographies

Professor James Triccas is a bacteriologist who uses a multidisciplinary approach to define immunity to chronic bacterial pathogens and develop new treatments to control infection. He is Professor of Medical Microbiology and Deputy Director of the Sydney Institute Infectious Diseases (Sydney ID) at The University of Sydney. He leads the recently established vaccine consortium comprising The University of Sydney, ExcellGene and Bharat Biotech, supported by the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), to develop a broadly protective SARS-CoV-2 vaccine.

Dr Megan Steain is a virologist with expertise in host-pathogen interactions and using viruses as vectors to address multiple health challenges. She is a senior lecturer in the Infection, Immunity and Inflammation theme within the School of Medical Sciences at The University of Sydney. She has over 20 years’ experience working with pathogenic human viruses, including HIV, SARS-CoV-2, varicella zoster virus, herpes simplex virus-1 and human cytomegalovirus.

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