The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has unveiled its new Vaccine Development and Evaluation Centre (VDEC), which is intended to build on its pandemic legacy and help develop life-saving new vaccines for the UK and worldwide.

The centre will be located at the UKHSA’s Porton Down site in over 2,800 square meters of laboratory space. Over 200 scientists will be working on around 100 wide-ranging projects, including tackling deadly pathogens with pandemic potential.

The centre will target pathogens for which a vaccine does not exist or is not regulated in the UK, or could be improved, such as avian influenza, mpox (monkeypox) or hantavirus.

The teams are already working on clinical trials for what could be a world-first vaccine against Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever.

Professor Dame Jenny Harries, chief executive of UKHSA, said: "VDEC is a hugely exciting step-change for the UK’s vaccine research and development capabilities and a vital component of UKHSA’s critical work highlighted in our 3-year strategy, including preparing the UK against many of the biggest infectious disease threats.

"VDEC is a unique facility in the UK, delivering multiple critical early pre and post clinical research and evaluation studies in a single research facility.  This essential work will lead the way over the coming years in our fight against potentially deadly pathogens, further enhancing the UK’s credentials as a global science superpower.

"As well as building on the legacy of the pandemic caused by COVID-19, VDEC will target a wide range of other deadly viruses and pathogens, helping to secure the health and prosperity of the UK and saving lives around the world."

Image by Michal Jarmoluk from Pixabay