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New technique points to safer, more efficient vaccination
December 30, 2005Researchers have demonstrated a technique that has the potential to reduce the toxicity of vaccines and to make smaller doses more effective, according to a study published in PLoS Pathogens.
Developing vaccines is fraught with challenges, particularly because many candidates carry a high risk of toxic side effects. For example, twenty percent of people immunized against smallpox will suffer side effects.
Wilfred Jefferies, a researcher at the University of British Columbia and senior author of the study, and his colleagues have shown that boosting the production of TAP, an immune system component, can make smaller doses of vaccines more effective.
Smaller vaccine doses would mean reduced side effects and the capacity to immunize more people with less material. "As the approach we have discovered appears to augment immune responses for different pathogens and is not limited to the genetics of the host we vaccinate, this new approach could have far reaching benefits in the field of vaccines," Jefferies said.
Vaccines capitalize on normal immune responses. Viral infections are naturally detected with the aid of special molecules called the major histocompatibility complex (MHC), which alert immune system cells to destroy infected cells. If the same virus infects again, the system is primed and ready to respond more quickly. Vaccines, which are created from disease-causing viruses (or their relatives), provide a harmless first exposure so that future infections are thwarted before they become lethal.
In this study, Jefferies and his colleagues vaccinated mice against the viral relatives of rabies and measles viruses and simultaneously induced the overproduction of one component already part of the immune system, called TAP, which enhances MHC activity. Subsequently, specific "destroyer" cells increased fourfold, compared with traditional vaccination. Since these cells help initiate immunity, the group recognized that they were an important piece of the puzzle, according to Jefferies.
"The pathway works like a machine or factory where increasing the efficiency of one component part can lead to a massive increase in functional output," he said.
Next, using varying doses, the team vaccinated mice against a relative of the smallpox virus. Mice immunized with just one-hundredth the standard dose and induced to overproduce TAP were still able to survive an otherwise lethal viral infection.
"We were surprised that over-expression of TAP would have such a great effect because it implies that it is in limiting amounts normally or is inefficient normally," Jefferies said. "Combining viral antigens with a gene that is involved in their processing appears to be a solution to increasing the efficacy of vaccines in general."
Public Library of Science
Smaller vaccine doses would mean reduced side effects and the capacity to immunize more people with less material. "As the approach we have discovered appears to augment immune responses for different pathogens and is not limited to the genetics of the host we vaccinate, this new approach could have far reaching benefits in the field of vaccines," Jefferies said.
Vaccines capitalize on normal immune responses. Viral infections are naturally detected with the aid of special molecules called the major histocompatibility complex (MHC), which alert immune system cells to destroy infected cells. If the same virus infects again, the system is primed and ready to respond more quickly. Vaccines, which are created from disease-causing viruses (or their relatives), provide a harmless first exposure so that future infections are thwarted before they become lethal.
In this study, Jefferies and his colleagues vaccinated mice against the viral relatives of rabies and measles viruses and simultaneously induced the overproduction of one component already part of the immune system, called TAP, which enhances MHC activity. Subsequently, specific "destroyer" cells increased fourfold, compared with traditional vaccination. Since these cells help initiate immunity, the group recognized that they were an important piece of the puzzle, according to Jefferies.
"The pathway works like a machine or factory where increasing the efficiency of one component part can lead to a massive increase in functional output," he said.
Next, using varying doses, the team vaccinated mice against a relative of the smallpox virus. Mice immunized with just one-hundredth the standard dose and induced to overproduce TAP were still able to survive an otherwise lethal viral infection.
"We were surprised that over-expression of TAP would have such a great effect because it implies that it is in limiting amounts normally or is inefficient normally," Jefferies said. "Combining viral antigens with a gene that is involved in their processing appears to be a solution to increasing the efficacy of vaccines in general."
Public Library of Science
Vaccination Current Events and Vaccination News RSSWorksite wellness programs may reduce employee absenteeism
Emory University Rollins School of Public Health researchers will present Nov. 11 on a range of topics at the American Public Health Association's annual meeting in Philadelphia, including a study that found reduced absenteeism among employees participating in a large-scale worksite wellness program.
Poll: Many parents, high-priority adults who tried to get H1N1 vaccine unable to get it
A new national poll from Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) researchers found that a majority of adults who tried to get the H1N1 vaccine for themselves or their children have been unable to do so.
When should flu trigger a school shutdown?
As flu season approaches, parents around the country are starting to face school closures. But how bad should an influenza outbreak be for a school to shut down?
Common Pain Relievers May Dilute Power of Flu Shots
With flu vaccination season in full swing, research from the University of Rochester Medical Center cautions that use of many common pain killers - Advil, Tylenol, aspirin - at the time of injection may blunt the effect of the shot and have a negative effect on the immune system.
Initial Results Show Pregnant Women Mount Strong Immune Response To One Dose of 2009 H1N1 Flu Vaccine
Healthy pregnant women mount a robust immune response following just one dose of 2009 H1N1 influenza vaccine, according to initial results from an ongoing clinical trial sponsored by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) of the National Institutes of Health.
Flu vaccine given to women during pregnancy keeps infants out of the hospital
Infants born to women who received influenza vaccine during pregnancy were hospitalized at a lower rate than infants born to unvaccinated mothers.
Progress made on group B streptococcus vaccine
Scientists supported by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health, have completed a Phase II clinical study that indicates a vaccine to prevent Group B Streptococcus (GBS) infection is possible.
Pandemic flu vaccine campaigns may be undermined by coincidental medical events
The effectiveness of pandemic flu vaccination campaigns - like that now underway for H1N1 - could be undermined by the public incorrectly associating coincidental and unrelated health events with the vaccines.
Lessons from flu seasons past
Pregnant women who catch the flu are at serious risk for flu-related complications, including death, and that risk far outweighs the risk of possible side effects from injectable vaccines containing killed virus, according to an extensive review of published research and data from previous flu seasons.
Swine flu vaccine must be free and safe for high uptake
Almost half of adults surveyed in Summer 2009 in Hong Kong (45%) say they would take up free swine flu vaccination.
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