Trends in Adjuvant and Vaccine Delivery Systems

Abstract

Since time immemorial, adjuvants have played a very crucial role in a vaccine formulation. Mere antigen discovery does no good until unless combined with an effective adjuvant. The modern era of vaccinology has transcended way beyond the conventional approach of prophylaxis, where it is driven more towards achieving specific and targeted effects. With the health sector alarmed with the dawn of dread and neoteric diseases/etiology, vaccination is the most effective aid at hand. The gradual advances made in antigen discovery need to be complemented with new generation adjuvants for multidimensional effects. Though conventional adjuvant strategies still canvas the industry, but the foresight of the eminent threat warrants drastic revolution in this sector. Adjuvants basically fall under two broad categories viz., depot/delivery adjuvants and immunopotentiators, encompassing a wide spectrum of the compound with the prospective future application. Each compound embodies a specific characteristic mode of interaction with host immune system. These compounds need further study and explorations with clinical trials directed to their position in vaccine formulation of the newer generation. Keywords: