Vaccines are one of the greatest public health advancements of all time, resulting in the control, elimination, or near-elimination of numerous infectious diseases that were once pervasive and often fatal. Pfizer has a rich history in vaccine research and development. Over the years, we’ve played a pivotal role in eliminating or nearly eliminating deadly infectious diseases like smallpox and polio globally. We have designed novel vaccines based on new delivery systems and technologies that have resulted in vaccines to prevent bacterial infections, like those caused by S. pneumoniae and N. meningitidis.
Today, more people are benefiting from safe and efficacious vaccines to prevent infectious diseases than ever before, and vaccines provide essential health benefits at all ages, from maternal and infant populations to seniors. However, our work is not done given the many infectious diseases with high unmet medical need as well as the existence of a growing number of diseases which are potentially vaccine- preventable.
It is an exciting time in vaccine research and development, as scientific discoveries, technological advancements and regulatory paradigms are paving the way for novel vaccines. While Pfizer’s Vaccine Research and Development scientists continue to extend our leadership position in pneumococcal and meningococcal disease prevention, they are also working on vaccines against other major infectious diseases while striving to bring the benefits of vaccines into previously unexplored areas. We are at the forefront to usher in a new era of vaccine innovation, to prevent serious infectious diseases that span our life span, protecting infants through maternal immunization and infant immunization through to older adults.
The approval of the first mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccines was a scientific turning point, establishing mRNA as a versatile, flexible technology. The focus and drive Pfizer exhibited in developing our COVID-19 vaccine in partnership with BioNTech produced a wealth of scientific knowledge in just one year.
Pfizer’s next wave of mRNA scientific innovation is expanding in the infectious disease arena with development programs in influenza and shingles, and we are also exploring the application of mRNA technology in other areas, including in rare genetic diseases. Our intention is to evaluate opportunities where the scientific rationale for using mRNA technology along with Pfizer’s expertise in disease is strongest, and where the potential impact on patients could be the greatest.
Pfizer Vaccines is interested in partnering opportunities in Vaccines R&D:
- Infectious disease vaccines that address a high unmet medical need and represent a breakthrough vs. standard of care
- Focus on bacterial and viral vaccines
Specific areas of interest in Vaccine Research include:
- Research tools, reagents, and materials to aid in vaccine discovery
- Novel viral and bacterial antigens (peptides, proteins, DNA, RNA, glycoconjugates) and expression systems
- Immunomodulators, adjuvants, delivery platforms, and vector systems to enhance vaccine immune responses
- Needle-free alternative delivery methods and devices
Broad platform technologies for application across multiple programs