While traditional clinical trials. So if you or a loved one is sick now, you need to rely on other treatments. You could also talk to your doctor about taking part in a clinical trial.
But Ertl says that, in the future, therapeutic vaccines could be crucial for diseases that we learn how to treat but not prevent.
“There are some diseases, like Alzheimer’s, that we just don’t have a clue how to prevent with a vaccine,” she says. A preventative vaccine might be unlikely or impossible, while a therapeutic vaccine could be more feasible.
Researchers are making progress, says Ertl, but there’s still a lot to learn.