Billions of people have been vaccinated against COVID-19 - an effort which has saved more than 20 million lives. But as variants of the virus keep evolving, vaccine developers are working on dozens of new ‘next-generation’ COVID-19 vaccines in the hopes of keeping up with the ever-changing threat.

In this film, we explore some of the leading designs, platforms and delivery methods of the COVID vaccines of tomorrow. Some could provide broader protection, others might be cheaper, more potent or have fewer side effects, whilst others still might be easier to administer and further reduce transmission. But with more than fifty vaccines already approved, and hundreds more in early and late-stage clinical trials, only time will tell which may have the greatest impact.

News feature: The next generation of coronavirus vaccines: a graphical guide

Subscribe to Nature Briefing, an unmissable daily round-up of science news, opinion and analysis free in your inbox every weekday.