Along with COVID-19 and the flu, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) has spread at alarming rates in recent months. Though a problematic clinical trial more than 50 years ago derailed RSV vaccine development for decades, promising vaccine candidates for this common infection are now in large-scale clinical trials. These vaccine candidates avoid problems caused by the experimental candidate tested decades ago by relying on a key advance made by Barney Graham, Jason McLellan and colleagues in 2013. That year, Graham and McLellan, who later used similar approaches to make key contributions to the COVID-19 vaccines, provided the proof of concept for a new way of developing vaccines based on leveraging insights from structural biology. Together with colleague Man Chen, they made discoveries that paved the way for RSV vaccines that have neared the finish line, a feat Science Magazine named as a runner-up for the 2022 Breakthrough of the Year. Come join us to hear from Graham, McLellan, Chen and vaccine-development chronicler Gregory Zuckerman as to how the approach these scientists conceived in 2013 is leading to what could be the first-ever FDA-approved vaccines against RSV, as well as other RSV therapeutics – and beyond. 

Host Organization: American Association for the Advancement of Science and Science Magazine