Novel Strategies in the Design and Production of Vaccines, Softcover reprint of the original 1st ed. 1996 Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology Series, Vol. 397

Vaccination is one of the most efficient and cost effective methods of promoting human health and has been in clinical use for at least 200 years. Nevertheless, infectious diseases continue to constitute a constant threat to the well being of humanity. Common pathogens, once believed to be under control, acquire increased virulence and resistance to drugs, while exotic microorganisms emerged from hidden reservoirs to cause yet incurable diseases in humans. These changes, together with epidemic outbreaks related to political and socio-economic instabilities, increase the needs for the development of new, advanced vaccines. In this volume, devoted to the proceedings of the 39th OHOLO Conference, we present some of the recent strategies for the design and production of novel vaccines. The advent of recombinant DNA technology has stimulated the production of several subunit vaccines. In spite of the obvious advantages to this approach, the limited immuno­ genicity of many subunit candidates has hindered their development. Strategies to enhance the immunogenicity of subunit vaccines is therefore critical. Several approaches toward this goal, including design of novel adjuvants and delivery systems as well as design of advantageous carriers, are presented here. Among the carriers evaluated here are polypep­ tides (flagellin, HBV core antigen, J3-galactosidase), attenuated virions (Vaccinia, Sindbis), and nonpathogenic licensed bacteria (Salmonella).

Recombinant Antigens and Presentation Vectors.- 1. Synthetic Vaccines for Infectious and Autoimmune Diseases.- 2. Host Range Restricted, Non-Replicating Vaccinia Virus Vectors as Vaccine Candidates.- 3. Hybrid Hepatitis B Virus Core Antigen as a Vaccine Carrier Moiety: II. Expression in Avirulent Salmonella spp. for Mucosal Immunization.- 4. Synthetic Recombinant Vaccine Induces Anti-Influenza Long-Term Immunity and Cross-Strain Protection.- 5. Alphavirus-Based Expression Systems.- 6. Alphavirus Hybrid Virion Vaccines.- 7. DNA Vaccines for Bacteria and Viruses.- Bacterial Vaccines - Novel Approaches.- 8. New Vaccines against Bacterial Toxins.- 9. Parameters for the Rational Design of Genetic Toxoid Vaccines.- 10. Protective Immunity Induced by Bacillus anthracis Toxin Mutant Strains.- 11. Bacterial Outer Membrane Protein Vaccines: The Meningococcal Example.- Strategies for HIV Vaccine.- 12. Changing Paradigms for an HIV Vaccine.- 13. Complexed HIV Envelope as a Target for an AIDS Vaccine.- 14. HIV—Peplotion Vaccine: A Novel Approach to Vaccination against AIDS by Transepithelial Transport of Viral Peptides and Antigens to Langerhans Cells for Induction of Cytolytic T Cells by HLA Class I and CD1 Molecules for Long Term Protection.- Adjuvants and Delivery Systems.- 15. The Role of Adjuvants and Delivery Systems in Modulation of Immune Response to Vaccines.- 16. Unique Immunomodulating Properties of Dimethyl Dioctadecyl Ammonium Bromide (DDA) in Experimental Viral Vaccines.- Production Processes and Clinical Evaluation.- 17. Challenges in the Development of Combination Vaccines.- 18. Polysaccharide Conjugate Vaccines for the Prevention of Gram-Positive Bacterial Infections.- 19. Production of Influenza Virus in Cell Cultures for Vaccine Preparation.- 20. Analysis ofBordetella pertussis Suspensions by ELISA and Flow Cytometry.- 21. Clinical Trials of Shigella Vaccines in Israel.- Vaccine Development - General Consideration.- 22. Hypothesis: How Licensed Vaccines Confer Protective Immunity.- 23. Therapeutic Vaccines: A Pandoric Prospect.