Adapting immunity with subunit vaccines: case studies with group A Streptococcus and malaria.
Although vaccines have widely been regarded as the most cost-effective way to improve public health, for some organisms new technological advances in vaccine design and delivery, incurring additional developmental costs, will be essential. These organisms are typically those for which natural immunity is either slow to develop or does not develop at all. Clearly, such organisms have evolved strategies to evade immune responses and innovative approaches will be required to induce a type of immune response which is both different to that which develops naturally and is effective. This article describes some approaches to develop vaccines for two such organisms (malaria parasites and Streptococcus pyogenes (group A Streptococcus)) that are associated with widespread mortality and morbidity, mostly in the poorest countries of the world. At this stage, the challenges are primarily scientific, but if these hurdles are surmounted then the challenges will become financial ones--developing much needed vaccines for people least able to afford them.
Good
Michael F
MF
The Cooperative Research Centre for Vaccine Technology, The Queensland Institute of Medical Research, P.O. Royal Brisbane Hospital, QLD 4029, Herston, Australia. michaelG@qimr.edu.au
Xu
Huji
H
Batzloff
Michael
M
D000818:Animals; D015195:Drug Design; D006801:Humans; D007109:Immunity; D008288:Malaria / Q000517:prevention & control; D017780:Malaria Vaccines / Q000276:immunology*; D051379:Mice; D016788:Plasmodium chabaudi / Q000276:immunology*; D010963:Plasmodium falciparum / Q000276:immunology*; D013290:Streptococcal Infections / Q000517:prevention & control; D022541:Streptococcal Vaccines / Q000276:immunology*; D013297:Streptococcus pyogenes / Q000276:immunology*; D022223:Vaccines, Subunit / Q000276:immunology
D017780:Malaria Vaccines; D022541:Streptococcal Vaccines; D022223:Vaccines, Subunit