German company BioNTech, Pfizer's partner in COVID-19 vaccines, said the two companies will begin next-generation vaccine trials on humans to protect against a wide range of coronaviruses in the second half of the year.

Their experimental work includes T-cell booster vaccines, primarily designed to protect against severe disease if the virus becomes more severe, as well as coronavirus vaccines that protect against the broader virus family and its mutations.

In slides published on BioNTech's website, the German biotechnology company said its goal is to "provide durable variant protection."

The two partners, makers of the most widely used COVID-19 vaccine in the Western world, are currently discussing with regulators improved versions of fixed vaccines for better protection against the Omicron variant and its sublineages.

The virus's ongoing mutation has increased the urgency in research by companies, governments, and health bodies for more reliable protective tools, especially with the emergence of new variants that easily evade vaccine immunization in addition to the weakness of human immune memory.

As part of its push to expand its infectious disease business, BioNTech said it is independently working on micro antibiotics that kill superbugs that have become resistant to currently available anti-infective agents.

BioNTech, which did not specify a start date for trials, relies on PhagoMed technology acquired last October. The Vienna-based antibiotic developer has worked on enzymes produced by bacteria-killing viruses that penetrate the bacterial cell wall.

Drug-resistant infections are increasing, driven by overuse of antibiotics and their leakage into the environment. Public health researchers estimate the total number of people who die annually from antibiotic-resistant infections in the US and EU to be nearly 70,000.

Editing: Dima Abu Khair