What to expect of a good vaccine and how to achieve it.
Vaccines have been used almost exclusively to prevent or control infectious diseases with the aim of long-lasting immunity. Some, composed of attenuated viruses, have been highly successful and this may be due to the generation of high levels of B memory cells and their steady recruitment to form antibody secreting cells. Some diseases, notably AIDS, are a much greater challenge and it will need all the expertise of molecular biologists and immunologists to devise a vaccine which may control the disease. Vaccination to enhance or decrease the action of hormones is now being actively explored as a practical way of controlling fertility in mammals or enhancing selected properties of other hormones. In this situation, the desired effect is for a defined period, possibly one year or less. These requirements underline further the need for controlled release formulations for vaccine delivery.
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Department of Microbiology, John Curtin School of Medical Research, Australian National University, Canberra.
D000163:Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome / Q000276:immunology / Q000517:prevention & control; D000917:Antibody Formation; D000940:Antigenic Variation; D005306:Fertilization; D007156:Immunologic Memory; D014612:Vaccines / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000276:immunology; D014614:Vaccines, Synthetic / Q000276:immunology
D014612:Vaccines; D014614:Vaccines, Synthetic