title: Vaccine adjuvants: role and mechanisms of action in vaccine immunogenicity.
abstract: Inactivated vaccines require adjuvants to stimulate an immune response. The choice of adjuvant or immune enhancer determines whether the immune response is effective, ineffective or damaging. Accordingly, there is a need for new adjuvants that stimulate the appropriate immunity, for example, T cell immunity for intracellular pathogens and cancer vaccines. In several adjuvants, the identification of chemical groups that interact with specific cell toll-like receptors (innate immunity) or receptors for co-stimulatory ligands (adaptive immunity), has enabled the establishment of structure-function relationships that are useful in the design of new adjuvants. Because of the crucial immunomodulating role of adjuvants, sub-unit vaccine development will remain dependent on new adjuvants.
authors.affiliation: Galenica Pharmaceuticals, Inc., 2800 Milan Court, Suite 118, Birmingham, Alabama 35211, USA. marciani.gpi@att.net
authors.forename: Dante J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Marciani
mesh_terms: D000276:Adjuvants, Immunologic / Q000737:chemistry / Q000145:classification / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000818:Animals; D015195:Drug Design; D006801:Humans; D007110:Immunity, Active / Q000187:drug effects; D007113:Immunity, Innate / Q000187:drug effects; D013329:Structure-Activity Relationship; D013678:Technology, Pharmaceutical; D014612:Vaccines / Q000737:chemistry / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D000276:Adjuvants, Immunologic; D014612:Vaccines