title: Recent advances in DNA vaccines for autoimmune diseases.
abstract: Vaccination is one of the most powerful health tools available owing to its ability to confer protection against various diseases. The long-term impact of such protection in terms of public-health savings is nearly incalculable and becomes even more evident when considering if the vaccination concept is extended to the therapeutic potential of a given molecule. In this sense, DNA vaccines are especially important tools with enormous potential owing to the molecular precision that they offer. The properties of the plasmid DNA molecule in terms of stability, cost-effectiveness and lack of cold-chain requirement are additional advantages over traditional vaccines and therapeutics. We focus on the current knowledge of autoimmune mechanisms, engineering of DNA vaccines and attempts that have already been made in order to intervene in autoimmune processes. Our experience with a genetic vaccine containing the heat-shock protein gene (hsp65) from mycobacteria is also described.
authors.affiliation: The Centre for Tuberculosis Research, Department of Biochemistry and Immunology, Medicine School of Ribeirão Preto, University of São Paulo, CEP 14049-900, Brazil. clsilva@cpt.fmrp.usp.br
authors.forename: Celio L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Silva
authors.forename: Vânia Ld
authors.initials: VL
authors.lastname: Bonato
authors.forename: Rubens R
authors.initials: RR
authors.lastname: dos Santos-Júnior
authors.forename: Carlos R
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: Zárate-Bladés
authors.forename: Alexandrina
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sartori
mesh_terms: D001327:Autoimmune Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000276:immunology*; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D018834:Chaperonin 60; D018833:Chaperonins / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D019444:Vaccines, DNA / Q000276:immunology* / Q000627:therapeutic use*
chemical_list: D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D018834:Chaperonin 60; D019444:Vaccines, DNA; C074119:heat-shock protein 65, Mycobacterium; D018833:Chaperonins