Introduction and Background of the Project

Introduction
Sustained investments in global health innovations such as vaccines are critical not only in global pandemic preparedness and response but also to achieve the health-related goals in SDGs. There are untapped innovations and technologies in the vaccine and vaccine-related fields by Japanese companies and scientists that can make significant contributions to global health, specifically in addressing major infectious diseases (tuberculosis (TB) and malaria), NTDs and emerging/pandemic potential infectious diseases. Given the rapid advancement of technologies such as in artificial intelligence (AI) to accelerate product design, molecular science, human immunology and vaccinology, it is an opportune timing to undertake an efficient landscape research to evaluate the potential of Japan-originated technologies in vaccine and vaccine-related field that can impact global health innovation.

Project objective
The objective of the project is to identify promising and innovative vaccine and vaccine-related technologies developed by Japanese scientists and companies by conducting a review of on-going research and development work in Japan, and to assess the potential value of these technologies.

Project design
The project is comprised of desktop research using publicly available information to identify up to 40 technologies, with our best effort, which will be evaluated by experts based on specific criteria, eventually narrowing it down a shorter list of promising technologies Interviews and peer reviews will be conducted on selected candidates to assess their potential for advancing technology development.

How can your partnership (project) address global health challenges?

Vaccines are proven to be a powerful tool in public health, having saved around 154 million lives over the last 50 years by preventing diseases like Diphtheria, Measles, and Polio. Despite progress, diseases like malaria, TB, and others still impact over a billion people globally. The recent COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the crucial role of vaccines research and development in responding to pandemics. Identifying promising Japanese science and technologies in vaccine development is crucial for fostering global collaboration, guiding impactful investments in the short term, and creating innovative solutions for achieving universal health in the long run.

What sort of innovation are you bringing in your project?

Over the years, scientific progress has greatly accelerated due to new technologies and tools. These advancements now allow for improved diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of various infectious diseases in global health. In the field of vaccines research, the response to the COVID-19 pandemic showcased new platforms like mRNA, with the potential to revolutionize vaccine science. Other emerging technologies include innovative adjuvants for better protection of vulnerable populations, as well as new methods for vaccine delivery and production that could enhance distribution in low-resource areas at lower costs. Machine learning and AI are also being utilized to design vaccine antigens quickly and safely. These developments coincide with efforts by organizations like the WHO to meet ambitious goals, such as developing effective medical countermeasures, including vaccines, within 100 days of the outbreak of a new disease, known as the 100 Days Mission (100DM), supported by the Japanese Government. This research project aligns fully with the current and future global strategy for targeted diseases and approaches.

Role and Responsibility of Each Partner

This project involves cooperation among three organizations: KPMG, Peak Value (PV), and Next Frontier Advisors (NFA). KPMG is the lead in the project, overseeing management and ensuring quality. PV with expertise in in global strategy development and health technology research, will provide insights and support in evaluating candidate technologies. As an expert organization in global health research and development, particularly vaccines, NFA will offer its technical expertise in evaluating candidate technologies. 

Final Report

1. Project objective: 
To systematically identify, assess, and analyze Japanese-origin vaccine and vaccine-related technologies with the potential to contribute to global health innovation. The project focused on both disease-specific vaccine candidates and cross-cutting platform and enabling technologies, aiming to inform GHIT Fund's future investment and partnership strategies. Through a structured landscape review, the study sought to identify technologies that could address major global health challenges, including infectious diseases of high burden, neglected diseases, and pandemic threats.

2. Project design: 
The project combined desktop research and expert consultation over a six-month period. Publicly available information from scientific literature, patent databases, funding organizations, and business databases was used to identify 334 candidate technologies. These were screened and narrowed to a Long List of 74 and a Short List of 18 technologies through quantitative and qualitative assessment against criteria including impact, innovation, access, and organizational capacity. Interviews were then conducted with developers of selected technologies to validate findings and assess development opportunities, challenges, and relevance to GHIT priorities.

3. Results, lessons learned: 
The study identified 334 vaccine and vaccine-related technologies originating from Japan, which were narrowed to a Short List of 18 high-potential technologies across five thematic areas: mucosal immunity, vaccine platforms and adjuvants, AI-enabled vaccine design, manufacturing and access innovations, and vaccines for high-burden diseases. Interviews were conducted with developers of eight shortlisted technologies to better understand their scientific differentiation, development status, and challenges.
A key finding was that Japan demonstrates particular strength in enabling technologies rather than conventional product-focused vaccine development. Many of the most promising technologies involved mucosal immunization, novel delivery systems, AI-assisted antigen design, and platforms that can be applied across multiple pathogens. Several technologies also offered potential advantages for LMIC deployment, including needle-free administration, room-temperature stability, and scalable manufacturing approaches.
The study also found that many innovative platform technologies are initially being developed for diseases with stronger commercial or pandemic relevance before being adapted to diseases of global health importance. This highlights the value of supporting platform technologies that can later be leveraged for tuberculosis, malaria, NTDs, and emerging infectious diseases.
Interviews revealed several common bottlenecks, including limited access to disease models, challenges in manufacturing scale-up, funding gaps for translational development, and difficulties in securing industry partners. Another important lesson learned was that publicly available information captures only part of Japan's innovation ecosystem; a number of promising technologies remain relatively invisible until they reach more advanced stages of development.
Overall, the project suggests that GHIT is well positioned to accelerate the translation of Japanese platform and enabling technologies toward diseases with the greatest global health burden through targeted funding, partnership facilitation, and continued horizon scanning of emerging innovations.

The final reports are available below: