Advances in Vaccine Development and Immunisation Strategies: From mRNA Platforms to Broadly Protective Vaccines

The COVID-19 pandemic catalysed an era of unprecedented vaccine innovation, the full implications of which are now reshaping immunisation science across a wide range of infectious diseases. This chapter reviews the scientific principles underpinning next-generation vaccine platforms — including mRNA, viral vector, protein subunit, and virus-like particle technologies — and evaluates their application to diseases such as influenza, HIV, tuberculosis, respiratory syncytial virus, and malaria. It examines correlates of protective immunity, adjuvant science, mucosal immunisation strategies, and the evolving challenge of vaccine hesitancy and global immunisation equity.