Vaccines

Immunoassays help sharpen a powerful healthcare tool

Vaccines play a critical role in the prevention of infectious diseases and are increasingly being explored as immunotherapies for conditions such as cancer and Alzheimer’s disease. Historically, vaccine development has been a long and complex process, often taking 10–15 years with high attrition rates compared with traditional drugs.

The record-breaking speed of vaccine development during the COVID-19 pandemic demonstrated how innovation can accelerate progress. Yet the fundamental requirements remain unchanged: vaccines must be proven safe, pure, potent, and effective to meet regulatory standards.

Immunoassays provide essential data throughout vaccine research, development, and manufacturing. With the increasing demand for faster timelines and flexible workflows, high-performance automated platforms such as the Gyrolab® system play an important role in enabling reliable and efficient vaccine bioanalysis. Today, Gyrolab systems are widely used across biopharmaceutical companies and contract research organizations (CROs) worldwide, including a growing number of vaccine development programs.

Powering future-ready vaccine development

The Gyrolab platform enables fast, reproducible immunoassays designed to support the complex analytical needs of modern vaccine programs. By combining microfluidic precision with automated workflows, the system helps scientists generate high-quality data while minimizing sample consumption and assay variability.

These capabilities make Gyrolab particularly valuable for vaccine R&D teams seeking to accelerate development timelines while maintaining the high analytical standards required for regulatory approval.

Efficient use of valuable samples and reagents

Nanoliter-scale reactions reduce the amount of precious reagents and biological samples required for immunoassay analysis.

Flexible analysis across complex sample matrices

Assays can handle diverse matrices including serum, plasma, aluminum-based formulations, and emulsions.

Wide dynamic range

Fewer dilutions are needed, even when concentrations vary significantly across samples.

Reduced assay development time

Automated immunoassay workflows streamline assay development and reduce manual handling.

Improved workflow efficiency

Automation reduces hands-on time and enables faster turnaround of bioanalytical results.

Support for multiple vaccine analytes

Immunoassays can quantify a variety of molecules including proteins, peptides, and polysaccharides across different vaccine formats.

Conventional vaccines versus new vaccine technologies

Traditional vaccines stimulate immune protection by exposing the body to antigens through several established strategies, including:

Inactivated microorganisms that were previously virulent
Live attenuated organisms that produce a mild or no disease response
Protein-based vaccines such as toxoids, subunits, or protein-polysaccharide conjugates

While effective, these approaches can present limitations in development speed and manufacturing flexibility. As a result, new vaccine technologies are rapidly emerging.

New vaccine platforms include:

DNA vaccines that introduce viral or bacterial genetic material into host cells
mRNA vaccines delivered through carriers such as lipid nanoparticles
Antigen-presenting cell (APC) vaccines
Viral vector vaccines that deliver genetic instructions for producing antigen proteins
Cancer vaccines based on peptide neoantigens

These approaches offer important advantages, particularly when rapid responses are needed during global health emergencies.

Lessons from COVID-19 vaccine development

The rapid development of COVID-19 vaccines demonstrated the power of next-generation technologies. Within ten months of publishing the SARS-CoV-2 genome, multiple vaccine candidates had entered clinical trials.

Examples include:

Adenovirus vector vaccines, several of which progressed into clinical development with strong efficacy results
RNA-based vaccines showing high levels of protection against infection

This unprecedented pace illustrates how new vaccine technologies can transform the global response to infectious disease threats.

Assays can be transferred between systems and sites with reproducible results, supporting long-term studies and regulatory submissions without added complexity.

Examples include:

Adenovirus vector vaccines, several of which progressed into clinical development with strong efficacy results
RNA-based vaccines showing high levels of protection against infection

This unprecedented pace illustrates how new vaccine technologies can transform the global response to infectious disease threats.

Assays can be transferred between systems and sites with reproducible results, supporting long-term studies and regulatory submissions without added complexity.