Needle-free delivery of vaccines should not only increase compliance, but s
hould also prove to be a safer and less traumatic method of vaccine deliver
y. One of the potential ways to achieve needle-free delivery is with the us
e of lipid-based delivery systems. To demonstrate the utility of these syst
ems, we have shown them to be effective with proteins produced by recombina
nt DNA technology, plasmid-based vaccines, as well as conventional vaccines
. Furthermore, these lipid-based delivery systems were shown to be effectiv
e in inducing mucosal immunity if delivered to mucosal surfaces or systemic
immunity if different transdermally. These approaches have the potential t
o revolutionize vaccine delivery in humans and animals. (C) 2000 Elsevier S
cience B.V. All rights reserved.