Gene Vaccines
The induction of antigen-specific immune responses after in vivo transfection with expression plasmids has triggered a revolution of vaccine research. After a first hype, evoked by the fascinating options of this method, clinical studies did not reach the
- PDF / 5,793,877 Bytes
- 331 Pages / 439.37 x 666.142 pts Page_size
- 41 Downloads / 233 Views
Josef Thalhamer • Richard Weiss Sandra Scheiblhofer Editors
Gene Vaccines
Editors Prof. Dr. Josef Thalhamer University of Salzburg Department of Molecular Biology Hellbrunnerstrasse 34 5020 Salzburg Austria e-mail: [email protected] Prof. Richard Weiss University of Salzburg Department of Molecular Biology Hellbrunnerstrasse 34 5020 Salzburg Austria e-mail: [email protected]
Dr. Sandra Scheiblhofer, PhD University of Salzburg Department of Molecular Biology Division of Allergy & Immunology Hellbrunnerstrasse 34 5020 Salzburg Austria e-mail: [email protected]
All rights are reserved, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifically those of translation, reprinting, re-use of illustrations, broadcasting, reproduction by photocopying machines or similar means, and storage in data banks. Product Liability: The publisher can give no guarantee for all the information contained in this book. This does also refer to information about drug dosage and application thereof. In every individual case the respective user must check its accuracy by consulting other pharmaceutical literature. The use of registered names, trademarks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use. © 2012 Springer-Verlag/Wien SpringerWienNewYork is part of Springer Science+Business Media springer.at Typesetting: SPi-Global, Pondicherry, India Cover design: WMXDesign, GmbH, Heidelberg, Germany Printed on acid-free and chlorine-free bleached paper SPIN: 80013623 With 49 (partly coloured) Figures Library of Congress Control Number: 2011936887
ISBN 978-3-7091-0438-5 e-ISBN 978-3-7091-0439-2 DOI 10.1007/978-3-7091-0439-2 SpringerWienNewYork
Preface
In the early nineties, the induction of a specific immune response by injecting a eukaryotic expression vector into the skin or muscle appeared somewhat “magic”. However, the basic mechanisms underlying “genetic immunization” could be explained by simple rules of text book immunology, i.e. transcription of the gene, translation of the gene product, processing and presentation on MHC, and induction of the immune reaction. The simplicity of using a genetic “sentence” and thus talk to the immune system inspired the imagination of scientists, and the approach was appraised as a revolution in modern vaccine design. Obviously, a dialog with the immune system was possible – you talk, using the genetic code, and the system responds. This analogy still holds true, and from my point of view, is the major cause of fascination for gene vaccines. As scientists gained a deeper understanding of the language of the immune system, they were able to extend their vocabulary and improved the dialog with the system. Elucidation of the manifold regulatory pathways and mechanisms of activating or inhibitory immune mediators enabled to command the immune system and to trigger desired immune responses. Another intriguing aspect
Data Loading...
