Applications and challenges of multivalent recombinantvaccines

Abstract

The exceptional discoveries of antigen/gene delivery systems have allowed the development of novel prophylactic and therapeuticvaccine candidates. Thevaccine candidates employ various antigen-delivery systems, particularly recombinant viral vectors. Recombinant viral vectors are experimentalvaccines similar to DNAvaccines, but they use attenuated viruses or bacterium as a carrier "vector" to introduce microbial DNA to cells of the body. They closely mimic a natural infection and therefore can efficiently stimulate the immune system. Although such recombinant vectors may face extensive preclinical testing and will possibly have to meet stringent regulatory requirements, some of these vectors (e.g. measles virus vectors) may benefit from the profound industrial and clinical experience of the parentvaccine. Most notably, novelvaccines based on live attenuated viruses combine the induction of broad, strong and persistent immune responses with acceptable safety profiles. We assess certain technologies in light of their use against human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). © 2013 Landes Bioscience.