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Technology and tokenisation

Reflections from the 2025 World Vaccine Congress

The 2025 World Vaccine Congress, held in Washington, D.C., brought together a global community of vaccine developers, public health leaders and scientific innovators to address some of the most pressing challenges in immunisation and pandemic preparedness. As one of the premier events in the field, the Congress attracted over 4,000 attendees for knowledge sharing through presentations and speakers and facilitated over 1,000 partnering meetings to foster vital connections. Each year, stakeholders from across industry, academia and government agencies convene at the Congress, though this year, notably, with a reduced regulatory presence. The energy and urgency throughout the congress was high, with a strong focus on innovation, long-term safety, and pragmatic solutions for a rapidly evolving vaccine ecosystem.

Themes of innovation amidst uncertainty

A recurring theme throughout the conference was the growing need for resource-efficient approaches to vaccine development. Sponsors and researchers are increasingly looking to technology to drive smarter, more streamlined trials. From gamification strategies designed to enhance participant engagement, to rapid point-of-care lab assessments, the message was clear: the future of vaccine research demands agility, scalability and creative problem-solving at all levels.

Industry stakeholders are navigating increased pressure from new mandates around post-market surveillance and long-term safety data collection without clear insight from regulators. Technology took centre stage as the practical pathway through the uncertainty. Attendees shared how innovations in data and technology are facilitating efficiency and offering new ways of safeguarding trial integrity and continuity. For example, tokenisation can support passive long-term follow-up to gain richer vaccine safety data without placing additional burden on patients. These capabilities are increasingly crucial, particularly as the US government continues to place strong emphasis on the long-term safety of vaccines.

Throughout multiple sessions, we saw renewed attention on real-world evidence (RWE) as a mechanism to solve the problem of increasing trial size and complexity while ensuring data relevance. As access to representative patient populations remains a challenge, RWE may help bridge critical gaps and better position trials for regulatory compliance. This may be especially helpful in underserved or high-risk communities.

Panel discussion highlights: RSV, influenza and biothreat preparedness

The recent approval of the first maternal vaccine for RSV is a landmark step for protecting vulnerable populations, including geriatric groups. With this success, discussions are now turning to expanding coverage to other populations, filling a critical gap in respiratory virus prevention. Attendees also examined the unique challenges posed by mRNA vaccines in pediatric populations and the need for alternative vaccine types to meet diverse immunisation needs.

Another topic of perpetual urgency was influenza. There is growing concern around avian flu strains such as H5N1 in the US, which has the potential to drift into human populations with significant consequences. Despite influenza receiving less public attention in recent years, a recent publication highlighted the worst pediatric mortality rates from influenza in the US since 2010—underscoring the continued importance of vigilance and vaccine development in this area.

A panel on biothreat preparedness reiterated the increasing government focus on long-term vaccine safety. While efficacy and short-term safety data are more readily available, sustained investment and infrastructure for long-term monitoring remain lacking. The panel urged the development of systems that enable data-driven follow-up beyond traditional subject tracking, aligning with the broader call for smarter, tech-enabled solutions.

ICON’s perspective: Leading the conversation on tokenisation

ICON was proud to be part of the 2025 World Vaccine Congress again this year, contributing thought leadership in the rapidly advancing area of data tokenisation. Our presentation on “Unlocking the power of tokenisation in clinical development and product commercialisation”, explored how this technology, data and analytics are together reshaping post-marketing surveillance and longitudinal safety assessments.

Tokenisation, the process of replacing personally identifiable information with unique, non-identifying codes, enables the secure collection of health data across different care settings over time. This approach allows researchers to monitor trends in safety and effectiveness long after a trial has ended—even if a participant is lost to follow-up or switches providers. This is important for long-term follow-up as the extended periods now span up to 15 years.

ICON’s Clinical Trial Tokenisation solution remains the only fully compliant, end-to-end tokenisation offering in the industry. By reducing patient burden while improving data quality and continuity, tokenisation is emerging as a powerful tool in meeting evolving regulatory expectations and maintaining public trust in vaccine safety.

Recognition and industry leadership

In recognition of our commitment to innovation and client partnerships, ICON received ‘Highly Commended’ recognition in the Best Contract Research Organisation category at the prestigious ViE Awards held during the Congress. This honour reflects ICON’s excellence in delivering high-quality services, our ability to meet critical development milestones, foster long-term relationships, and continually enhance performance through forward-thinking solutions.

Preparing for the challenges ahead

The tone at this year’s Congress reflected a field in transition. Amid the uncertainty, we are collectively striving to uphold safety, integrity and innovation while navigating a shifting regulatory, funding, and medical landscape and the industry showed resilience and creativity in moving forward with innovation. 

Our participation at this year’s Congress, including our expert-led presentation on tokenisation, highlighted the importance of our role we are helping to solve challenges in vaccine development.  ICON remains a trusted partner to sponsors navigating a complex and fast-moving global landscape to support their therapeutic innovations, ultimately advancing public health through innovation, agility and excellence.

Connect with us to learn how ICON can help drive forward-thinking solutions for your vaccine development program. 

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