NEC Corp. has succeeded in designing vaccines to prevent infections with the new coronavirus using artificial intelligence, the company announced Thursday.
The Japanese electronics company has published the results of its analysis online in a bid to encourage pharmaceutical companies to jointly develop vaccines.
To make the design, NEC researchers analyzed the genetic information of the new coronavirus by adapting AI technology normally used for developing cancer vaccines.
They identified several epitopes that activate a patient's immune system, so that the vaccine design is capable of responding to mutations of the virus.
However, to develop vaccines, it is necessary to repeatedly conduct clinical trials and research to determine its safety and efficacy, making it likely that it will be a while before actual vaccinations are carried out.
Pharmaceutical companies and research institutes around the world, including Johnson & Johnson Services Inc. and Pfizer Inc. in the United States, are accelerating the development of vaccines against coronavirus. Also in Japan, Anges Inc. and Osaka University have shown their willingness to develop vaccines.
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