Oxford Secures £118M for AI Vaccine Research Against Antibiotic Resistance

The University of Oxford, in partnership with the Ellison Institute of Technology (EIT), has launched a £118 million AI-driven vaccine research program called CoI-AI (Correlates of Immunity-Artificial Intelligence) to combat antibiotic-resistant infections. The initiative will utilize human challenge trials, where volunteers are ethically exposed to bacteria such as Streptococcus pneumoniae, Staphylococcus aureus, and E. coli, combined with advanced AI analysis to identify immune markers that signal protection. Led by Oxford Vaccine Group Director Professor Sir Andrew Pollard and Deputy Director Professor Daniela Ferreira, the program aims to accelerate vaccine development by deeply understanding immune responses and overcoming challenges posed by drug-resistant pathogens. The Ellison Institute is investing around £1 billion in a new Oxford campus to provide the necessary supercomputing capabilities, supported by Oracle's AI technology. This interdisciplinary effort represents a significant advancement in vaccine science, potentially compressing decades of research into a few years and addressing a critical global health threat posed by antimicrobial resistance. Larry Ellison, Chairman of the Ellison Institute, emphasized the transformative potential of combining immunology with AI to tackle serious infections and improve public health worldwide.