title: Factors contributing to the immunogenicity of meningococcal conjugate vaccines.
abstract: Various glycoprotein conjugate vaccines have been developed for the prevention of invasive meningococcal disease, having significant advantages over pure polysaccharide vaccines. One of the most important features of the conjugate vaccines is the induction of a T-cell dependent immune response, which enables both the induction of immune memory and a booster response after repeated immunization. The nature of the carrier protein to which the polysaccharides are chemically linked, is often regarded as the main component of the vaccine in determining its immunogenicity. However, other factors can have a significant impact on the vaccine's profile. In this review, we explore the physico-chemical properties of meningococcal conjugate vaccines, which can significantly contribute to the vaccine's immunogenicity. We demonstrate that the carrier is not the sole determining factor of the vaccine's profile, but, moreover, that the conjugate vaccine's immunogenicity is the result of multiple physico-chemical structures and characteristics.
authors.affiliation: a GSK Vaccines GmbH , Marburg , Germany.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bröker
authors.affiliation: b GSK Vaccines , Siena , Italy.
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Berti
authors.affiliation: b GSK Vaccines , Siena , Italy.
authors.forename: Paolo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Costantino
mesh_terms: D000276:Adjuvants, Immunologic / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D000818:Animals; D002352:Carrier Proteins / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D055598:Chemical Phenomena; D006801:Humans; D022401:Meningococcal Vaccines / Q000276:immunology*; D018074:Vaccines, Conjugate / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D000276:Adjuvants, Immunologic; D002352:Carrier Proteins; D022401:Meningococcal Vaccines; D018074:Vaccines, Conjugate
keywords: carrier protein; glycoprotein conjugate vaccine; immunogenicity; invasive meningococcal disease; polysaccharide; vaccine formulation