Consolidated Statements of Operations and Comprehensive Loss - USD ($)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021	Dec. 31, 2020
Income Statement [Abstract]
Revenue	$ 900,000	$ 625,000
Costs and expenses:
Cost of revenue		2,000
Research and development	17,160,000	21,549,000
General and administrative	6,230,000	7,405,000
Total costs and expenses	23,390,000	28,956,000
Loss from operations	(22,490,000)	(28,331,000)
Interest expense	(809,000)	(489,000)
Gain on forgiveness of PPP loan	876,000
Other income (expense), net	43,000	(31,000)
Loss before provision for income taxes	(22,380,000)	(28,851,000)
Provision for income taxes	0	0
Net loss	(22,380,000)	(28,851,000)
Net loss attributable to noncontrolling interests	0	0
Net loss attributable to Vaccinex, Inc. common stockholders	(22,380,000)	(28,851,000)
Comprehensive loss	$ (22,380,000)	$ (28,851,000)
Net loss per share attributable to Vaccinex, Inc. common stockholders, basic and diluted	$ (0.78)	$ (1.54)
Weighted-average shares used in computing net loss per share attributable to Vaccinex, Inc. common stockholders, basic and diluted	28,849,197	18,786,768