Overview
- pEVAC‑PS completed a Phase I trial, which reported results on Wednesday, June 10, 2026, showing the DNA vaccine was well tolerated and stimulated immune responses in 39 healthy volunteers.
- Researchers used machine‑learning on global viral sequence data to design a novel, de novo 'superantigen' that contains conserved coronavirus signatures not found in any single natural virus.
- Trial participants developed antibodies and immune responses that reacted to SARS‑CoV‑2, the original SARS virus, and several bat coronaviruses with zoonotic potential.
- The vaccine is delivered as DNA and given needle‑free into the skin using a microfluidic jet‑injection device, a delivery route that differs from common mRNA and protein vaccines.
- Investigators plan larger, more diverse Phase II trials to measure whether the immune responses prevent infection or disease and how long protection lasts, and they say the AI design approach could be adapted to other virus families if later trials confirm benefit.