AI Joins Final Push to Eradicate Polio with Novel Vaccine Designs

COPENHAGEN, Denmark – March 30, 2026 – In a significant move that could reshape the final chapter of a decades-long global health battle, Danish TechBio company Evaxion has developed novel polio vaccine concepts using artificial intelligence. The designs, created in collaboration with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, aim to overcome the final, stubborn hurdles in the global quest to eradicate the debilitating disease once and for all.

The pioneering concepts, generated by Evaxion’s proprietary AI-Immunology™ platform, will be unveiled this week at the World Vaccine Congress in Washington D.C., marking a potential turning point in a fight that has seen more than 99% of poliovirus cases eliminated worldwide but has struggled to extinguish the final embers.

The Stubborn Gaps in Polio's Armor

The global effort to eradicate polio, a highly infectious viral disease that can cause irreversible paralysis, has been one of public health’s greatest triumphs. Since the launch of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) in 1988, wild poliovirus cases have plummeted. However, the tools that brought the world this far have inherent limitations that complicate the endgame.

Two types of vaccines have been the workhorses of this campaign. The Oral Polio Vaccine (OPV) is inexpensive, easy to administer, and provides superior intestinal immunity that helps stop transmission. But because it contains a live-attenuated virus, in extremely rare cases it can mutate and revert to a virulent form, causing outbreaks of circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus (cVDPV), particularly in under-immunized communities. These cVDPV outbreaks now represent a primary obstacle to eradication.

Conversely, the Inactivated Polio Vaccine (IPV) is administered via injection and contains a killed virus, making it perfectly safe with no risk of causing vaccine-derived polio. Its critical drawback, however, is that it provides limited immunity in the gut. This means an IPV-vaccinated individual is protected from paralysis but can still carry and shed the virus, allowing it to silently circulate and threaten the unvaccinated. The higher cost and need for trained personnel for injections also pose logistical challenges for mass campaigns in low-resource settings.

This dichotomy has created a pressing need for a next-generation vaccine—one that combines the ironclad safety of IPV with the transmission-blocking power of OPV. It is this long-sought-after goal that Evaxion’s AI-driven approach aims to achieve.

A Digital Solution to a Biological Puzzle

Evaxion is deploying its AI-Immunology™ platform to design vaccine concepts from the ground up, moving beyond the traditional attenuated or inactivated virus models. The research being presented at the World Vaccine Congress explores two innovative strategies: hybrid capsid designs and de novo designed B-cell antigen approaches. In essence, the AI platform is simulating and analyzing countless biological possibilities to construct an ideal vaccine component that can trick the immune system into mounting a robust, multi-faceted defense without introducing any live viral material.

This represents a paradigm shift from conventional vaccine discovery, which can take years of laborious lab work. Evaxion’s platform, which has already been clinically validated in its cancer vaccine programs, can identify and design novel vaccine targets with remarkable speed and precision.

“These new polio vaccine design concepts are great examples of how AI-Immunology™ enables novel approaches to diseases for which adequate treatment options do not exist despite decades of research,” said Birgitte Rønø, CSO of Evaxion, in a public statement. “We are excited to have applied the platform within a new viral disease, further validating its capability and scalability.”

Forging Alliances to End an Old Foe

The collaboration with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation lends significant weight to Evaxion’s project. The Gates Foundation is a primary architect of the global polio eradication strategy, having committed nearly $5 billion to the GPEI. Its current strategy for 2022-2026, backed by a $1.2 billion pledge, explicitly focuses on stopping cVDPV outbreaks and investing in innovation.

By providing a grant to Evaxion, the foundation is making a strategic bet that cutting-edge technology like artificial intelligence is key to developing the tools needed for the post-eradication era. This partnership not only provides crucial funding but also serves as a powerful validation of Evaxion's AI platform as a legitimate tool for tackling major global health challenges.

A Versatile Platform Tackling Multiple Threats

The polio project is not an isolated effort but a demonstration of the broader capabilities of Evaxion’s AI-Immunology™ platform. The company’s diverse pipeline underscores the technology’s versatility. Also at the World Vaccine Congress, Evaxion will present preclinical data from its EVX-V1 program, a next-generation vaccine candidate targeting Cytomegalovirus (CMV).

CMV is a widespread virus that is typically harmless but can cause severe birth defects in congenitally infected newborns and life-threatening complications in transplant patients. With no approved vaccine currently on the market, the potential public health impact and commercial market are substantial. Evaxion’s approach to CMV involves a multi-component vaccine combining AI-discovered antigens with AI-optimized versions of established targets, a strategy designed to create a stronger and broader immune response.

The platform’s credibility is further bolstered by its successes in oncology, where its AI-designed personalized cancer vaccine EVX-01 showed a 75% response rate in a Phase 2 trial for metastatic melanoma, and by a major licensing deal with pharmaceutical giant Merck for a bacterial vaccine candidate. These achievements showcase a mature, validated technology platform capable of generating novel candidates across cancer and infectious diseases.

As experts gather in Washington, the presentations by Evaxion’s scientists will be closely watched. They represent more than just a single project; they offer a glimpse into a future where artificial intelligence could become an indispensable ally in the fight against humanity’s most persistent and challenging diseases.