Vaccines adjuvants

A wide variety of adjuvant-active materials have been used in experimental and veterinary vaccines but the only commonly used adjuvants for human vacc ines are based on aluminium salts. The reasons for this are numerous but mo st new adjuvant produces have failed in the developmental stage due to toxi city or limitations associated with manufacturing and stability. Research c ompleted over the last 30 years is now providing products with significant potential for improving the efficacy of human vaccines. These new products are derived from many different sources, including natural products, such a s plant saponins, bacterial lipopolysaccharides, biodegradable oils and lip ids, and novel synthetic polymers. Individual adjuvants exert varied effect s on the immune system and many products can be used in combination formula tions. This degree of flexibility will allow for vaccines to be optimally f ormulated for specific disease targets. The ability to produce more potent vaccines, through the use of adjuvants, is critical to the expansion of thi s field, especially for vaccines targeting pathogens where no form of prote ction exists. Examples of pathogen targets used most commonly to clinically evaluate new adjuvant technologies include HIV-1 and the causative agent o f human malaria, Plasmodium falciparum Adjuvants may also provide significa nt benefit to those segments of the population that are partially immunocom promised, such as the elderly. Finally, highly potent adjuvant-supplemented vaccines have shown promise as therapeutics for the treatment of cancer; p roducts that can be used to supplement established therapies. Descriptions of the advantages and limitations of adjuvants that are most likely to be a vailable for use as components in licensed vaccines within the next decade have been included in this review.