Flow cytometric analysis of vaccine responses: how many colors are enough?
The past 5 years have seen an explosion in technological advances related to measuring immunogenicity. Specifically, two distinct areas of development have led to considerably more detailed analysis of T cell responses: first, the ability to measure over a dozen distinct antigens expressed by individual cells simultaneously (12-color flow cytometry); and second, a host of assays that rapidly and viably identify antigen-specific T cells. Together, these technologies reveal the complex heterogeneity of an immune response generated during infection or after vaccine challenge. The next 5 years will see the determination of which underlying variables will be most important to quantifying vaccine efficacy. In this manuscript, we discuss these technologies, with a focus on assisting in the design and implementation of immunogenicity trials for future vaccine efforts.
Roederer
Mario
M
ImmunoTechnology Section, Vaccine Research Center, NIAID, NIH, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA. Roederer@nih.gov
Brenchley
Jason M
JM
Betts
Michael R
MR
De Rosa
Stephen C
SC
D000818:Animals; D003587:Cytomegalovirus / Q000276:immunology; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D005453:Fluorescence; D006801:Humans; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D014612:Vaccines / Q000276:immunology*
D014612:Vaccines