Progress in vaccine development.

Vaccination has a proven record as one of the most effective medical approaches to prevent the spread of infectious diseases. Traditional vaccine approaches involve the administration of whole killed or weakened microorganisms to stimulate protective immune responses. Such approaches deliver many microbial components, some of which contribute to protective immunity, and assist in guiding the type of immune response that is elicited. Despite their impeccable record, these approaches have failed to yield vaccines for many important infectious organisms. This has prompted a move towards more defined vaccines ('subunit vaccines'), where individual protective components are administered. This unit provides an overview of the components that are used for the development of modern vaccines including: an introduction to different vaccine types (whole organism, protein/peptide, polysaccharide, conjugate, and DNA vaccines); techniques for identifying subunit antigens; vaccine delivery systems; and immunostimulatory agents ('adjuvants'), which are fundamental for the development of effective subunit vaccines.