From Covid-19 to malaria, researchers at the University of Oxford have developed vaccines and technologies that are transforming global health and preventing millions of deaths each year.

Vaccines prevent between 3.5 and 5 million deaths every year. However, infectious diseases remain a major challenge because many pathogens mutate and display variable antigens, the molecules that trigger an immune response. As a result, vaccines may not always protect against different strains of the same disease.

Over the past decade, researchers at the Jenner Institute and the Oxford Vaccine Group have made major advances in vaccine development. Their work includes the Oxford-AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine and the R21 malaria vaccine, approved in 2023—both of which have had global impact.

The Oxford Martin School was an early supporter of both institutes. Their Directors, Professor Sir Adrian Hill and Professor Sir Andrew Pollard, were among the leaders of the Oxford Martin Programme on Vaccines. Programme researchers contributed to the development of the meningitis B vaccine, Bexsero, which was introduced into the UK’s childhood immunisation programme in 2015.

As part of their work on influenza vaccines, the team also helped to develop the ChAdOx1 viral vector. This technology later formed the basis of the Oxford-AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine.

Professor Sir Andrew Pollard was also part of the Oxford Martin Programme on Collective Responsibility for Infectious Disease. This interdisciplinary programme brought together experts in zoology, history, philosophy, psychology and medicine to develop policy recommendations for collective action on influenza, malaria, antibiotic resistance and vaccine-preventable childhood infections.

Launched in 2015, the programme generated insights, particularly on vaccine hesitancy, that proved valuable during the Covid-19 pandemic.