Abstract
Vaccination protocols aim at the delivery of exogenous antigen (Ag) to antigen-presenting cells (APCs) concurrent with the activation of APCs by adjuvants. Activated APCs then cross-present the Ag, cross-prime T effector cells, and activate B cells. Classical protocols rely on a mixture of both Ag and the adjuvant. However, a disadvantage of this strategy is that simultaneous "loading" and activation of APCs is not guaranteed. As a consequence, heterogeneous APC populations will be generated, including APCs being either Ag-presenting or only activated, thus rendering the adaptive immune response suboptimal. Therefore, novel strategies are needed that provide both constituents to the same APC in order to generate a homogeneous Ag-presenting and activated cell population. Here we show that these requirements can be fulfilled via two distinct methods, either by covalently linking Ag to the adjuvant or by co-encapsulating Ag and adjuvant into biodegradable microparticles. These novel vaccine protocols allow the generation of robust T-cell and B-cell responses that match immunogenicity of live vectors. Their characteristics with regard to efficacy, flexibility, and clinical applicability are discussed.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 27-32 |
Number of pages | 6 |
Journal | International Journal of Medical Microbiology |
Volume | 298 |
Issue number | 1-2 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - 3 Jan 2008 |
Keywords
- Conjugate
- CpG-ODN
- Microparticle
- Vaccination