The University of Cambridge announced in a bulletin on November 8 that its research team has used artificial intelligence (AI) to design a new broad-spectrum avian influenza vaccine, and animal experiments have shown that it provides protection against multiple variants of the avian influenza virus. The candidate vaccine was developed jointly by the University of Cambridge and its spin-off company. Researchers collected genetic sequence data of avian influenza viruses recorded by global surveillance programs and, with the help of AI tools, integrated and analyzed the data to design a series of "super antigens" containing common antigenic features of the viruses. Antigens are the components in vaccines that trigger the body's immune response. After screening through cell testing, the team incorporated the selected antigens into the vaccine and conducted animal experiments. The results showed that mice and ferrets vaccinated with the new vaccine all survived after being challenged with multiple avian influenza virus variants with different genetic characteristics, while only about half of the control group animals vaccinated with existing avian influenza vaccines survived. All tested variants had previously caused human infections and have potential pandemic risk. The lead researcher, University of Cambridge professor Jonathan Heeney, said that the new vaccine aims to provide broad-spectrum protection against multiple avian influenza virus variants to address the challenge of virus evolution, and AI tools can greatly accelerate the vaccine design process.