The 27th DCVMN Annual General Meeting opened in Beijing on September 22, 2026, bringing together vaccine manufacturers and global health stakeholders to explore the future of vaccine manufacturing and its role in advancing public health. Dr. ShouBai Chao, Chief Operating Officer of CanSino Biologics (CanSinoBIO), participated in the DCVMN CEO Forum Roundtable, which focused on the future of vaccine manufacturing over the next 20–25 years and how DCVMN members can help strengthen global health systems.

Dr. Chao emphasized that the next generation of vaccine manufacturing will increasingly be shaped by breakthrough innovation addressing long-standing unmet medical needs, particularly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). At the same time, affordability, quality and accessibility should be considered from the outset of innovation and product development.

Dr. ShouBai Chao, Chief Operating Officer of CanSinoBIO, at the DCVMN CEO Forum Roundtable

Credit: DCVMN

Innovating for Unmet Public Health Needs

CanSinoBIO has established five R&D platforms spanning viral vectors, synthetic vaccines, protein structure design and VLP assembly, mRNA, and formulation and delivery technologies. The company continues to explore innovative vaccine technologies and delivery approaches in response to unmet public health needs, particularly in LMICs.

Dr. Chao noted that innovation for global public health needs to consider accessibility and affordability for LMICs from the very beginning of the R&D process. This means looking beyond scientific and technological feasibility to factors such as scalability, manufacturing costs, delivery methods and the realities of healthcare systems in target markets.

CanSinoBIO's VLP-Polio candidate, supported by the Gates Foundation, is being developed to support global polio eradication efforts. The company is also advancing an inhaled tuberculosis vaccine candidate, currently in Phase I clinical development in Indonesia.

It is further exploring delivery technologies designed with scalability, quality and affordability in mind. Dr. Chao also highlighted the potential of AI-enabled antigen discovery to accelerate vaccine innovation, alongside the importance of regulatory innovation in enabling promising new products to reach populations in need more efficiently.

Advancing Combination Vaccines Through Regional Collaboration

Greater regional collaboration and combination development, rather than a one-size-fits-all approach across populations, will be essential to the future of vaccine development, Dr. Chao said.

Combination vaccines can reduce the number of injections, improve vaccination coverage and lower delivery costs, offering a practical approach to strengthening immunization programs, particularly in resource-constrained settings.

Against this backdrop, CanSinoBIO is actively seeking collaboration with DCVMN partners to co-develop a next-generation combination vaccine. By leveraging the respective technical capabilities and cost advantages of different partners, such collaboration could support long-term, high-quality and stable vaccine supply for LMICs.

"The future is not one universal vaccine for all," Dr. Chao said. "It is co-developed combination vaccines that reflect regional needs and help secure sustainable supply for LMICs."

Deepening Collaboration to Strengthen Regional Capabilities

Over the next 20–25 years, Dr. Chao believes that deeper bilateral and multilateral collaboration, spanning joint R&D, co-development, manufacturing partnerships, and the sharing of technical and quality capabilities, will help strengthen vaccine manufacturing capacity across regions and support more sustainable access to vaccines.

CanSinoBIO has completed technology transfer projects in countries including Indonesia, Mexico and Pakistan, covering local registration, production, filling, GMP systems, quality control and regulatory compliance. Building on these experiences, the company is pursuing longer-term partnerships that combine technology sharing, local manufacturing and joint R&D. For DCVMN members, such collaboration can provide a practical pathway to build regional vaccine manufacturing capacity while collectively addressing unmet public health needs over the coming decades. 

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