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Review
. 2025 Mar 21;13(4):335.
doi: 10.3390/vaccines13040335.

Innovations, Challenges, and Future Prospects for Combination Vaccines Against Human Infections

Munazza Fatima  1   2 , Kee-Jong Hong  1   2   3   4
Affiliations
Review

Innovations, Challenges, and Future Prospects for Combination Vaccines Against Human Infections

Munazza Fatima et al. Vaccines (Basel). .

Abstract

Combination vaccines provide the versatile benefits of addressing different pathogens simultaneously using a combined formulation. This approach can be regarded as a substantial modernization in immunization. In this review, we highlight various advancements in combination vaccines based on mRNA, viral vectors, live attenuated, and recombinant vaccines. Recent success in clinical trials of mRNA platforms for combination vaccines has particularly accelerated research in this direction. The advantages of combination vaccines in terms of patient adherence, cost effectiveness, and streamlined immunization schedule are discussed. The existing challenges of antigenic interference, logistical hurdles, and the complications of regulatory standards are analyzed. Research trends to make combination vaccines viable for emerging infections have been summarized. The current work provides a critical overview, the existing opportunities, and the future prospects of combination vaccines.

Keywords: SARS-CoV-2; attenuated; combination vaccines; influenza; mRNA; multivalent vaccine; recombinant; viral vector.

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Conflict of interest statement

We declare no conflicts of interest regarding this publication.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Pathogens and diseases targeted by vaccines across different age groups. Targets of WHO-recommended vaccines for routine immunization are shown in bold. Others are recommended for specific contexts, regions, populations, or vaccines in clinical trials (adapted from [15]).
Figure 2
Figure 2
Comparative analysis of combination versus individual vaccines. (a) Advantages and disadvantages of combination vaccines; (b) advantages and disadvantages of individual vaccines. Created with BioRender, available from https://www.biorender.com/ (Accessed on 20 January 2025).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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