Viruses such as influenza and SARS-CoV-2 are constantly evolving to better infect their hosts. The appearance of new variants often diminishes the effectiveness of existing vaccines designed to induce immunity against pre-existing strains. In this episode, Niki Spahich from The Scientist’s Creative Services team spoke with Patrick Wilson, a professor at the Gale and Ira Drukier Institute for Children’s Health at Weill Cornell Medicine, to learn about strategies for making universal vaccines that would impart long-lasting immunity in spite of pathogen evolution.