Vaccine discovery and translation of new vaccine technology

Oral and parenteral vaccination of broiler chickens with Recombinant NetB antigen from Clostridium perfringens confers significant protection against necrotic enteritis

BACKGROUND

Necrotic enteritis is a devastating economic disease caused by Clostridium perfringens in poultry. NetB toxin from C. perfringens type G is the major responsible cause of necrotic enteritis. After the ban on growth-promoting antibiotics, alternative effective intervention approaches such as the vaccination of birds were considered critical to control necrotic enteritis. To date, no commercial vaccines with proven efficacy have been approved against necrotic enteritis. In this study, we evaluated the efficacy of the oral and parenteral vaccines based on NetB antigen from C. perfringens to choose the best prime-boosting vaccination strategy against necrotic enteritis. The broiler chickens were orally vaccinated with either previously developed recombinant probiotic bacterium, Lactobacillus casei strain expressing NetB toxoid, followed by a parenteral booster by the purified recombinant NetB toxoid (oral/parenteral), or the recombinant NetB toxoid alone (parenteral-only).

RESULTS

Immunizations of birds with these vaccines elicited strong specific anti-NetB antibody responses and provided significant protection against the infectious challenge. Additionally, the vaccinated birds represented significant mean body weight gains compared with birds in control groups during the experiment.

CONCLUSIONS

The current study showed that oral and parenteral vaccines using NetB antigen from C. perfringens could provide significant protection against necrotic enteritis in broiler chickens.

Necrotic enteritis in chickens: a comprehensive review of vaccine advancements over the last two decades

ABSTRACTNecrotic enteritis (NE) is a severe gastrointestinal disease that poses a significant threat to poultry, leading to progressive deterioration of the small intestine, reduced performance, and increased mortality rates, causing economic losses in the poultry industry. The elimination of antimicrobial agents from chicken feed has imposed a need to explore alternative approaches for NE control, with vaccination emerging as a promising strategy to counteract the detrimental consequences associated with NE. This comprehensive review presents an overview of the extensive efforts made in NE vaccination from 2004 to 2023. The review focuses on the development and evaluation of vaccine candidates designed to combat NE. Rigorous evaluations were conducted in both experimental chickens and broiler chickens, the target population, to assess the vaccines' capacity to elicit an immune response and provide substantial protection against toxin challenges and experimental NE infections. The review encompasses the design of vaccine candidates, the antigens employed, in vivo immune responses, and the efficacy of these vaccines in protecting birds from experimental NE infection. This review contributes to the existing knowledge of NE vaccination strategies, offering valuable insights for future research and development in this field.

Advances and challenges in the development of periodontitis vaccines: A comprehensive review

Periodontitis is a prevalent polymicrobial disease. It damages soft tissues and alveolar bone, and causes a significant public-health burden. Development of an advanced therapeutic approach and exploration of vaccines against periodontitis hold promise as potential treatment avenues. Clinical trials for a periodontitis vaccine are lacking. Therefore, it is crucial to address the urgent need for developing strategies to implement vaccines at the primary level of prevention in public health. A deep understanding of the principles and mechanisms of action of vaccines plays a crucial role in the successful development of vaccines and their clinical translation. This review aims to provide a comprehensive summary of potential directions for the development of highly efficacious periodontitis vaccines. In addition, we address the limitations of these endeavors and explore future possibilities for the development of an efficacious vaccine against periodontitis.

Experimental and molecular dynamics simulation studies on the physical properties of three HBc-VLP derivatives as nanoparticle protein vaccine candidates

Self-assembling virus-like particles (VLPs) are promising platforms for vaccine development. However, the unpredictability of the physical properties, such as self-assembly capability, hydrophobicity, and overall stability in engineered protein particles fused with antigens, presents substantial challenges in their downstream processing. We envision that these challenges can be addressed by combining more precise computer-aided molecular dynamics (MD) simulations with experimental studies on the modified products, with more to-date forcefield descriptions and larger models closely resembling real assemblies, realized by rapid advancement in computing technology. In this study, three chimeric designs based on the hepatitis B core (HBc) protein as model vaccine candidates were constructed to study and compare the influence of inserted epitopes as well as insertion strategy on HBc modifications. Large partial VLP models containing 17 chains for the HBc chimeric model vaccines were constructed based on the wild-type (wt) HBc assembly template. The findings from our simulation analysis have demonstrated good consistency with experimental results, pertaining to the surface hydrophobicity and overall stability of the chimeric vaccine candidates. Furthermore, the different impact of foreign antigen insertions on the HBc scaffold was investigated through simulations. It was found that separately inserting two epitopes into the HBc platform at the N-terminal and the major immunogenic regions (MIR) yields better results compared to a serial insertion at MIR in terms of protein structural stability. This study substantiates that an MD-guided design approach can facilitate vaccine development and improve its manufacturing efficiency by predicting products with extreme surface hydrophobicity or structural instability.

A Comprehensive Review of Our Understanding and Challenges of Viral Vaccines against Swine Pathogens

Pig farming has become a strategically significant and economically important industry across the globe. It is also a potentially vulnerable sector due to challenges posed by transboundary diseases in which viral infections are at the forefront. Among the porcine viral diseases, African swine fever, classical swine fever, foot and mouth disease, porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome, pseudorabies, swine influenza, and transmissible gastroenteritis are some of the diseases that cause substantial economic losses in the pig industry. It is a well-established fact that vaccination is undoubtedly the most effective strategy to control viral infections in animals. From the period of Jenner and Pasteur to the recent new-generation technology era, the development of vaccines has contributed significantly to reducing the burden of viral infections on animals and humans. Inactivated and modified live viral vaccines provide partial protection against key pathogens. However, there is a need to improve these vaccines to address emerging infections more comprehensively and ensure their safety. The recent reports on new-generation vaccines against swine viruses like DNA, viral-vector-based replicon, chimeric, peptide, plant-made, virus-like particle, and nanoparticle-based vaccines are very encouraging. The current review gathers comprehensive information on the available vaccines and the future perspectives on porcine viral vaccines.

Design of a novel multiepitope vaccine against Chlamydia pneumoniae using the extracellular protein as a target

Chlamydia pneumoniae (C. pneumoniae) infection in humans is universal and causes various respiratory infectious diseases, making a safe and effective preventive vaccine essential. In this study, a multi-epitope vaccine with CTLA-4 extracellular structure was constructed by an immunoinformatics approach. Since MOMP protein is the major extracellular protein in C. pneumoniae and has good immunogenicity and high conservation, we selected the MOMP protein of C. pneumoniae as the antigen target, predicted the T and B cell epitopes of the MOMP protein and then connected the CTLA-4 extracellular structure with the predicted dominant epitopes by various linkers to construct a multi-epitope vaccine. The biochemical characterization of the multi-epitope vaccine showed its immunogenicity and anti-allergic properties. The tertiary structure of this vaccine, along with molecular docking, molecular dynamics simulation, and principal component analysis, showed that the multi-epitope vaccine structure interacted with B7 (B7-1, B7-2) and toll-like receptors (TLR-2, TLR-4). Ultimately, the vaccine was cloned and effectively expressed in silico on an insect baculovirus expression vector (pFastBac1). These analyses showed that the designed vaccine could potentially target antigen-presenting cells and was immune to C. pneumoniae, which provided novel strategies for developing the vaccine.

A Hitchhiker's Guide to Problem Selection in Carbohydrate Synthesis

Oligosaccharides are ubiquitous in molecular biology and are used for functions ranging from governing protein folding to intercellular communication. Perhaps paradoxically, the exact role of the glycan in most of these settings is not well understood. One reason for this contradiction concerns the fact that carbohydrates often appear in heterogeneous form in nature. These mixtures complicate the isolation of pure material and characterization of structure-activity relationships. As a result, a major bottleneck in glycoscience research is the synthesis and modification of pure materials. While synthetic and chemoenzymatic methods have enabled access to homogeneous tool compounds, a central problem, particularly for newer synthetic chemists, is the matter of problem selection. This outlook aims to provide an entry level overview of fundamental principles in carbohydrate chemistry with an eye toward enabling solutions to frontier challenges.

Evaluation the efficacy of oral immunization of broiler chickens with a recombinant Lactobacillus casei vaccine vector expressing the Carboxy-terminal fragment of α-toxin from Clostridium perfringens

BACKGROUND

Clostridium perfringens (C. perfringens) is a serious anaerobic enteric pathogen causing necrotic enteritis (NE) in broiler chickens. Following the ban on antibiotics as growth promoters in animal feedstuffs, there has been a remarkable rise in occurrence of NE which resulted in considering alternative approaches, particularly vaccination. The objective of this work was to evaluate the recombinant Lactobacillus casei (L. casei) expressing the C-terminal domain of α-toxin from C. perfringens as a potential probiotic-based vaccine candidate to immunize the broiler chickens against NE.

RESULTS

The broiler chickens immunized orally with recombinant vaccine strain were significantly protected against experimental NE challenge, and developed specific serum anti-α antibodies. Additionally, the immunized birds showed higher body weight gains compared with control groups during the challenge experiment.

CONCLUSIONS

The current study showed that oral immunization of broiler chickens with a safe probiotic-based vector vaccine expressing α-toxin from C. perfringens could provide protective immunity against NE in birds.

Lactobacillus casei displaying Clostridium perfringens NetB antigen protects chickens against necrotic enteritis

Necrotic enteritis is a serious economical disease of poultry caused by Clostridium perfringens. NetB toxin of Clostridium perfringens is considered the causative agent of necrotic enteritis. Following the withdrawal of in-feed antibiotic growth promoters, there has been an urgent need to develop alternative approaches such as vaccination. Currently, there are no commercially available vaccines to control necrotic enteritis especially in broiler chickens as the target population. In the present study, we constructed a recombinant Lactobacillus casei strain expressing NetB protein of C. perfringens on the cell surface and used this probiotic-based vaccine strain to immunize broiler chickens orally against experimental induction of necrotic enteritis. The birds immunized with the oral vaccine strain were significantly protected against necrotic enteritis challenge and developed strong serum anti-NetB antibody responses to NetB protein. Furthermore, the immunized birds showed higher body weight gains during the challenge experiment compared with control birds. This study showed, for the first time, that a probiotic-based vector vaccine could be a promising vaccine candidate to provide protection against necrotic enteritis in broiler chickens. KEYPOINTS: • The probiotic L. casei carrying pT1NX-netB plasmid displayed NetB antigen on the cell surface. • The LC-NetB vaccine strain induced high anti-toxin antibody response in broiler chickens. • The LC-NetB vector vaccine provided significant protection against experimental NE challenge.

The Role of General Attitudes and Perceptions Towards Vaccination on the Newly-Developed Vaccine: Results From a Survey on COVID-19 Vaccine Acceptance in China

Background

Vaccination has been considered one of the most effective public health interventions. In the context of the global epidemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), it remains unclear what role general vaccination attitudes and perceptions have on the acceptance of COVID-19 vaccine.

Objective

This study aims to explore the impact of general attitudes and perceptions toward vaccination on the acceptance of a newly developed vaccine, taking COVID-19 vaccines as an example.

Method

A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 2,013 Chinese adult participants. Generalized order logistic regression and path analysis models were used to analyze impacts of general attitudes and perceptions toward vaccination on the acceptance of the COVID-19 vaccine.

Results

The prevalence of hesitancy to vaccination in general is 49.9% among the Chinese adult population. General perceptions of vaccination were associated with corresponding perceptions of the COVID-19 vaccine. A “no hesitancy” attitude toward vaccination is a significant determinant (aOR = 1.77, 95% CI = 1.36–2.31) of future COVID-19 vaccination compared to vaccine refusers, and perceptions of COVID-19 vaccine remain a significant determinant for the acceptance of the COVID-19 vaccine. Path analysis indicates that perceptions of the importance and safety of vaccination have a positive overall effect on the acceptance of the COVID-19 vaccine, and that general perceptions of vaccination as a whole on each measure indirectly influence the acceptance of the COVID-19 vaccine.

Conclusion

General attitudes and perceptions toward vaccination were associated with those of the COVID-19 vaccine and future vaccination intention. To prepare for possible emergence of diseases in the future, routine health campaigns should be launched by relevant government departments and vaccination authorities to enhance the overall awareness and knowledge of vaccination among the public and to ensure optimal vaccination experience. In addition, targeted knowledge dissemination and mass mobilizations should be urged for newly developed vaccines when some specific infectious diseases emerge, such as COVID-19 at present.

Computational Design of a Multi-Epitope Vaccine Against Porphyromonas gingivalis

Porphyromonas gingivalis is a Gram-negative pathogenic bacterium associated with chronic periodontitis. The development of a chimeric peptide-based vaccine targeting this pathogen could be highly beneficial in preventing oral bone loss as well as other severe gum diseases. We applied a computational framework to design a multi-epitope-based vaccine candidate against P. gingivalis. The vaccine comprises epitopes from subunit proteins prioritized from the P. gingivalis reference strain (P. gingivalis ATCC 33277) using several reported vaccine properties. Protein-based subunit vaccines were prioritized through genomics techniques. Epitope prediction was performed using immunoinformatic servers and tools. Molecular modeling approaches were used to build a putative three-dimensional structure of the vaccine to understand its interactions with host immune cells through biophysical techniques such as molecular docking simulation studies and binding free energy methods. Genome subtraction identified 18 vaccine targets: six outer-membrane, nine cytoplasmic membrane-, one periplasmic, and two extracellular proteins. These proteins passed different vaccine checks required for the successful development of a vaccine candidate. The shortlisted proteins were subjected to immunoinformatic analysis to map B-cell derived T-cell epitopes, and antigenic, water-soluble, non-toxic, and good binders of DRB1*0101 were selected. The epitopes were then modeled into a multi-epitope peptide vaccine construct (linked epitopes plus adjuvant) to enhance immunogenicity and effectively engage both innate and adaptive immunity. Further, the molecular docking approach was used to determine the binding conformation of the vaccine to TLR2 innate immune receptor. Molecular dynamics simulations and binding free energy calculations of the vaccine-TLR2 complex were performed to highlight key intermolecular binding energies. Findings of this study will be useful for vaccine developers to design an effective vaccine for chronic periodontitis pathogens, specifically P. gingivalis.

Semi- and fully synthetic carbohydrate vaccines against pathogenic bacteria: recent developments

The importance of vaccine-induced protection was repeatedly demonstrated over the last three decades and emphasized during the recent COVID-19 pandemic as the safest and most effective way of preventing infectious diseases. Vaccines have controlled, and in some cases, eradicated global viral and bacterial infections with high efficiency and at a relatively low cost. Carbohydrates form the capsular sugar coat that surrounds the outer surface of human pathogenic bacteria. Specific surface-exposed bacterial carbohydrates serve as potent vaccine targets that broadened our toolbox against bacterial infections. Since first approved for commercial use, antibacterial carbohydrate-based vaccines mostly rely on inherently complex and heterogenous naturally derived polysaccharides, challenging to obtain in a pure, safe, and cost-effective manner. The introduction of synthetic fragments identical with bacterial capsular polysaccharides provided well-defined and homogenous structures that resolved many challenges of purified polysaccharides. The success of semisynthetic glycoconjugate vaccines against bacterial infections, now in different phases of clinical trials, opened up new possibilities and encouraged further development towards fully synthetic antibacterial vaccine solutions. In this mini-review, we describe the recent achievements in semi- and fully synthetic carbohydrate vaccines against a range of human pathogenic bacteria, focusing on preclinical and clinical studies.

Vaccine and vaccination as a part of human life: In view of COVID-19

Background

Vaccination created a great breakthrough toward the improvement to the global health. The development of vaccines and their use made a substantial decrease and control in infectious diseases. The abundance and emergence of new vaccines has facilitated targeting populations to alleviate and eliminate contagious pathogens from their innate reservoir. However, along with the infections like malaria and HIV, effective immunization remains obscure and imparts a great challenge to science.

Purpose and scope

The novel Corona virus SARS‐CoV‐2 is the reason for the 2019 COVID‐19 pandemic in the human global population, in the first half of 2019. The need for establishing a protected and compelling COVID‐19 immunization is a global prerequisite to end this pandemic.

Summary and conclusion

The different vaccine technologies like inactivation, attenuation, nucleic acid, viral vector, subunit, and viral particle based techniques are employed to develop a safe and highly efficient vaccine. The progress in vaccine development for SARS‐CoV2 is much faster in the history of science. Even though there exist of lot of limitations, continuous efforts has put forward so as to develop highly competent and effective vaccine for many human and animal linked diseases due to its unlimited prospective. This review article focuses on the historical outlook and the development of the vaccine as it is a crucial area of research where the life of the human is saved from various potential diseases.

Discovery of Semi- and Fully-Synthetic Carbohydrate Vaccines Against Bacterial Infections Using a Medicinal Chemistry Approach

The glycocalyx, a thick layer of carbohydrates, surrounds the cell wall of most bacterial and parasitic pathogens. Recognition of these unique glycans by the human immune system results in destruction of the invaders. To elicit a protective immune response, polysaccharides either isolated from the bacterial cell surface or conjugated with a carrier protein, for T-cell help, are administered. Conjugate vaccines based on isolated carbohydrates currently protect millions of people against Streptococcus pneumoniae, Haemophilus influenzae type b, and Neisseria meningitides infections. Active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) are increasingly discovered by medicinal chemistry and synthetic in origin, rather than isolated from natural sources. Converting vaccines from biologicals to pharmaceuticals requires a fundamental understanding of how the human immune system recognizes carbohydrates and could now be realized. To illustrate the chemistry-based approach to vaccine discovery, I summarize efforts focusing on synthetic glycan-based medicinal chemistry to understand the mammalian antiglycan immune response and define glycan epitopes for novel synthetic glycoconjugate vaccines against Streptococcus pneumoniae, Clostridium difficile, Klebsiella pneumoniae, and other bacteria. The chemical tools described here help us gain fundamental insights into how the human system recognizes carbohydrates and drive the discovery of carbohydrate vaccines.

Impact of virus genetic variability and host immunity for the success of COVID-19 vaccines

Coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) continues to challenge most scientists in the search of an effective way to either prevent infection or to avoid spreading of the disease. As result of global efforts some advances have been reached and we are more prepared today than we were at the beginning of the pandemic, however not enough to stop the transmission, and many questions remain unanswered. The possibility of reinfection of recovered individuals, the duration of the immunity, the impact of SARS-CoV-2 mutations in the spreading of the disease as well as the degree of protection that a potential vaccine could have are some of the issues under debate. A number of vaccines are under development using different platforms and clinical trials are ongoing in different countries, but even if they are licensed it will need time until reach a definite conclusion about their real safety and efficacy. Herein we discuss the different strategies used in the development of COVID-19 vaccines, the questions underlying the type of immune response they may elicit, the consequences that new mutations may have in the generation of sub-strains of SARS-CoV-2 and their impact and challenges for the efficacy of potential vaccines in a scenario postpandemic.

Novel vaccine design based on genomics data analysis: A review

Modification of pathogenic strains with the passage of time is responsible for evolution in the timeline of vaccine development for last 30 years. Recent advancements in computational vaccinology on the one hand and genome sequencing approaches on the other have generated new hopes in vaccine development. The aim of this review was to discuss the evolution of vaccines, their characteristics and limitations. In this review, we highlighted the evolution of vaccines, from first generation to the current status, pointing out how different vaccines have emerged and different approaches that are being followed up in the development of more rational vaccines against a wide range of diseases. Data were collected using Google Scholar, Web of Science, Science Direct, Web of Knowledge, Scopus and Science Hub, whereas computational tools such as NCBI, GeneMANIA and STRING were used to analyse the pathways of vaccine action. Innovative tools, such as computational tools, recombinant technologies and intra-dermal devices, are currently being investigated in order to improve the immunological response. New technologies enlightened the interactions of host proteins with pathogenic proteins for vaccine candidate development, but still there is a need of integrating transcriptomic and proteomic approaches. Although immunization with genomics data is a successful approach, its advantages must be assessed case by case and its applicability depends on the nature of the agent to be immunized, the nature of the antigen and the type of immune response required to achieve effective protection.

A Synthetic Carbohydrate-Protein Conjugate Vaccine Candidate against Klebsiella pneumoniae Serotype K2

Klebsiella pneumoniae causes pneumonia and liver abscesses in humans worldwide and contains virulence factor capsular polysaccharides and lipopolysaccharides linked to the cell wall. Although capsular polysaccharides are good antigens for vaccine production and capsular oligosaccharides conjugate vaccines are proven effective against infections caused by encapsulated pathogens, there is still no Klebsiella pneumoniae vaccine available. One obstacle is that the capsular polysaccharide of a dominated Klebsiella pneumoniae serotype K2 is difficult to synthesize chemically due to the three 1,2-cis linkages in its structure. In this study, we successfully synthesized K2 capsular polysaccharides from tetra- to octasaccharides in highly a stereoselective manner. Subsequently, three synthesized glycans were conjugated to DT protein to provide glycoconjugate vaccine candidates (DT-Hexa, DT-Hepta, and DT-Octa) that were used in in vivo immunization experiments in mice. The results of immunized studies showed all three glycoconjugates elicited antibodies that recognized all of the synthetic glycans at 1:200-fold dilution. Particularly, the DT-Hepta conjugate elicited a higher level of antibodies that can recognize longer glycan (octasaccharide) even at 1:12800-fold dilution and exhibited good bactericidal activity. Our results concluded that heptasaccharide is the minimal epitope and a potential candidate for the vaccine against the K2 sero group of Klebsiella pneumoniae.

Vaccines for neglected and emerging diseases in Brazil by 2030: the "valley of death" and opportunities for RD&I in Vaccinology 4.0

We examine the implications of the very low competitiveness of the Brazilian vaccine RD&I system, which precludes the development of all the important vaccines required by the National Immunization Program (NIP), severely impacting the healthcare of the population. In a country dramatically affected by COVID-19 pandemic and by an exponential increase in emerging and neglected diseases, particularly the poor, these RD&I constraints for vaccines become crucial governance issues. Such constraints are aggravated by a global scenario of limited commercial interest from multinational companies in vaccines for neglected and emerging diseases, which are falling into a "valley of death," with only two vaccines produced in a pipeline of 240 vaccines. We stress that these constraints in the global pipeline are a window of opportunity for vaccine manufacturers in Brazil and other developing countries in the current paradigm transition towards Vaccinology 4.0. We conclude with recommendations for a new governance strategy supporting Brazilian public vaccine manufacturers in international collaborations for a sustainable national vaccine development and production plan by 2030.

Application of antigen presenting cell-targeted nanovaccine delivery system in rhabdovirus disease prophylactics using fish as a model organism

Background

Targeted delivery of virus-associated antigens to professional antigen-presenting cells (APCs) is considered as an efficient strategy to enhance the pyrophytic effect of vaccines against rhabdovirus disease.

Materials and methods

In this study, we constructed a targeted carbon nanotubes-based vaccine deliver system (SWCNTs-MG) which can recognize the signature receptor (mannose) of APCs. An environmentally and economically important disease called spring viremia of carp (SVC) was studied as a model to evaluate the feasibility of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) conjugated with mannosylated antigen for rhabdovirus prevention.

Results

Results showed that SWCNTs-MG could cross into fish body and present to internal immune-related tissues through gill, muscle and intestine within 6 h immersed vaccination. With further modification of mannose moiety, the obtained nanovaccine showed enhanced uptake by carp macrophages and immune-related tissues, which would then trigger strong immune responses against spring viremia of carp virus (SVCV) infection. Moreover, the survival rate of fish vaccinated with SWCNTs-MG (30 mg/L) was 63.5% after SVCV infection, whereas it was 0% for the control group.

Conclusion

This study not only provide a theoretical basis and research template for the application of targeted nanovaccine system in aquatic animals, but also play an important role in supporting development of healthy aquaculture and ensuring the safety of aquatic products and ecology.

Bacterial vaccines in poultry

BACKGROUND

Poultry bacterial pathogens are mainly controlled by using high-cost sanitary measures and medical treatment. However, the drug-resistant strains of pathogens continuously emerge, and medical treatments are often ineffective. Moreover, there is increasing public objections to drug residues in poultry products. The other important type of control is the vaccination which depends on immunity. This immunological control is the major practical alternative to chemotherapy. Success of vaccines in combating poultry diseases depends mainly on the choice of the proper type of vaccines, correct time of its usage, and method of administration.The types of vaccines include attenuated live vaccines, and these vaccines were shown to be effective in inducing protection. The second type is killed vaccine or whole bacteria extracts which is less successful in providing protection compared to live vaccines. The metabolic product vaccine (toxoids) is the third type of vaccine. The recombinant DNA technique was adopted to produce the protective antigens in a sufficient amount and in cost-effective ways.

CONCLUSIONS

Protection studies against bacterial diseases were performed by using several trials: living vaccines (live attenuated vaccines; live, non-pathogenic microorganisms; live, low virulence microorganism), inactivated (killed) vaccines (heat-inactivated, chemical inactivates, radiation), metabolic product vaccines (toxoids), subunit vaccines (whole cell proteins, outer membrane proteins, purified flagellar proteins (flagellin), fimbrial proteins, pilus proteins, lipopolysaccharides), vaccines produced by recombinant deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) technology, and DNA vaccines.

Vaccine confidence in China after the Changsheng vaccine incident: a cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND

China's achievements in immunization are being threatened by a vaccine crisis. This paper aims to investigate vaccine confidence in China after the Changsheng vaccine incident and attempts to identify the factors contributing to it.

METHODS

An online cross-sectional investigation was conducted from 1 to 25 September 2018. Descriptive analysis and logistic regression were performed to examine the associations between socio-demographic factors, cognition and attitudes towards the Changsheng vaccine incident and vaccine confidence.

RESULTS

We included 1115 respondents in the final analysis, and found that approximately 70% (783) of the respondents did not have vaccine confidence. More than half of the respondents (54.53%) were dissatisfied with the government's response measures to the Changsheng vaccine incident. The logistic regression model indicated that vaccine confidence was positively associated with the degree of satisfaction with the government's response measures (OR = 1.621, 95% CI = 1.215-2.163), attitudes towards the risks and benefits of vaccination (OR = 1.501, 95% CI = 1.119-2.013), concerns about vaccine safety (OR = 0.480, 95% CI = 0.317-0.726), and vaccine efficacy (OR = 0.594, 95% CI = 0.394-0.895).

CONCLUSIONS

A majority of the respondents held negative attitudes towards vaccines after the Changsheng vaccine incident. A coordinated effort is required to restore public confidence in vaccines, especially in China, where a nationwide mandatory immunization policy is implemented. To end dissent towards inoculation, a series of actions is crucial and multiple parties should work together to advance efforts and explore the possibility of establishing an open and transparent regulatory system.

Comparison of two different PEGylation strategies for the liposomal adjuvant CAF09: Towards induction of CTL responses upon subcutaneous vaccine administration

Using subunit vaccines, e.g., based on peptide or protein antigens, to teach the immune system to kill abnormal host cells via induction of cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL) is a promising strategy against intracellular infections and cancer. However, customized adjuvants are required to potentiate antigen-specific cellular immunity. One strong CTL-inducing adjuvant is the liposomal cationic adjuvant formulation (CAF)09, which is composed of dimethyldioctadecylammonium (DDA) bromide, monomycoloyl glycerol (MMG) analogue 1 and polyinosinic:polycytidylic acid [poly(I:C)]. However, this strong CTL induction requires intraperitoneal administration because the vaccine forms a depot at the site of injection (SOI) after subcutaneous (s.c.) or intramuscular (i.m.) injection, and depot formation impedes the crucial vaccine targeting to the cross-presenting dendritic cells (DCs) residing in the lymph nodes (LNs). The purpose of the present study was to investigate the effect of polyethylene glycol (PEG) grafting of CAF09 on the ability of the vaccine to induce antigen-specific CTL responses after s.c. administration. We hypothesized that steric stabilization and charge shielding of CAF09 by PEGylation may reduce depot formation at the SOI and enhance passive drainage to the LNs, eventually improving CTL induction. Hence, the vaccine (antigen/CAF09) was post-grafted with a novel type of anionic PEGylated peptides based on GDGDY repeats, which were end-conjugated with one or two PEG₁₀₀₀ moieties, resulting in mono- and bis-PEG-peptides of different lengths (10, 15 and 20 amino acid residues). For comparison, CAF09 was also grafted by inclusion of 1,2-distearoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphoethanolamine-N-methoxy(PEG)-2000 (DSPE-PEG₂₀₀₀) in the bilayer structure during preparation. Grafting of CAF09 with either type of PEG resulted in charge shielding, evident from a reduced surface charge. Upon s.c. immunization of mice with the model antigen ovalbumin (OVA) adjuvanted with PEGylated CAF09, stronger CTL responses were induced as compared to immunization of mice with unadjuvanted OVA. Biodistribution studies confirmed that grafting of CAF09 with DSPE-PEG₂₀₀₀ improved the passive drainage of the vaccine to LNs, because a higher dose fraction was recovered in DCs present in the draining LNs, as compared to the dose fraction detected for non-PEGylated CAF09. In conclusion, PEGylation of CAF09 may be a useful strategy for the design of an adjuvant, which induces CTL responses after s.c. and i.m. administration. In the present studies, CAF09 grafted with 10 mol% DSPE-PEG₂₀₀₀ is the most promising of the tested adjuvants, but additional studies are required to further elucidate the potential of the strategy.

Chemical synthesis of the dimeric repeating unit of type Ia group BStreptococcuscapsular polysaccharide

The first synthesis of the dimeric repeating unit of type Ia GBS CPS containing two sialotrisaccharide side chains and adjacent 3,4-di-branched Gal motifs was achieved.

[History and principles of vaccination]

INTRODUCTION

Vaccination constitutes a major advance in the prevention of infectious diseases. The principle of vaccination is to induce protection against a pathogen by mimicking its natural interaction with the human immune system. The vaccine reduces the risk of complications and mortality following subsequent exposure to an infectious agent.

STATE OF THE ART

In this review we recall the history of vaccination as well as the basic immunological principles underlying the composition of vaccines and the response to vaccination. In this way, vaccines induce the immune system to produce an immunological memory based on T and B lymphocytes in order to produce a rapid and effective response to exposure to the targeted pathogen.

OUTLOOK

The improvement of existing vaccines and the discovery of new vaccines requires an understanding of the immunological principles of vaccination. Great challenges remain, particularly in terms of target pathogens for future vaccine candidates and also the acceptance of vaccination.

CONCLUSION

Understanding the principles of vaccination allows development of vaccines and the control of infectious diseases.

Vaccines as alternatives to antibiotics for food producing animals. Part 2: new approaches and potential solutions

Vaccines and other alternative products are central to the future success of animal agriculture because they can help minimize the need for antibiotics by preventing and controlling infectious diseases in animal populations. To assess scientific advancements related to alternatives to antibiotics and provide actionable strategies to support their development, the United States Department of Agriculture, with support from the World Organisation for Animal Health, organized the second International Symposium on Alternatives to Antibiotics. It focused on six key areas: vaccines; microbial-derived products; non-nutritive phytochemicals; immune-related products; chemicals, enzymes, and innovative drugs; and regulatory pathways to enable the development and licensure of alternatives to antibiotics. This article, the second part in a two-part series, highlights new approaches and potential solutions for the development of vaccines as alternatives to antibiotics in food producing animals; opportunities, challenges and needs for the development of such vaccines are discussed in the first part of this series. As discussed in part 1 of this manuscript, many current vaccines fall short of ideal vaccines in one or more respects. Promising breakthroughs to overcome these limitations include new biotechnology techniques, new oral vaccine approaches, novel adjuvants, new delivery strategies based on bacterial spores, and live recombinant vectors; they also include new vaccination strategies in-ovo, and strategies that simultaneously protect against multiple pathogens. However, translating this research into commercial vaccines that effectively reduce the need for antibiotics will require close collaboration among stakeholders, for instance through public–private partnerships. Targeted research and development investments and concerted efforts by all affected are needed to realize the potential of vaccines to improve animal health, safeguard agricultural productivity, and reduce antibiotic consumption and resulting resistance risks.

Synthesis, Liposomal Formulation, and Immunological Evaluation of a Minimalistic Carbohydrate-α-GalCer Vaccine Candidate

Fully synthetic glycan-based vaccines hold great potential as preventive and therapeutic vaccines against infectious diseases as well as cancer. Here, we present a two-component platform based on the facile conjugation of carbohydrate antigens to α-galactosylceramide (α-GalCer) to yield fully synthetic vaccine candidates. Formulation of the cancer-associated Tn antigen glycolipid model vaccine candidate into liposomes of different sizes and subsequent immunization of mice generated specific, high-affinity antibodies against the carbohydrate antigen with characteristics of T cell-dependent immunity. Liposome formulation elicited more reproducible glycan immunity than a conventional glycoconjugate vaccine bearing the same glycan antigen did. Further evaluation of the immune response revealed that the size of the liposomes influenced the glycan antibody responses toward either a cellular (Th1) or a humoral (Th2) immune phenotype. The glycolipid vaccine platform affords strong and robust antiglycan antibody responses in vivo without the need for an external adjuvant.

Systems Biology-Based Platforms to Accelerate Research of Emerging Infectious Diseases

Emerging infectious diseases (EIDs) pose a major threat to public health and security. Given the dynamic nature and significant impact of EIDs, the most effective way to prevent and protect against them is to develop vaccines in advance. Systems biology approaches provide an integrative way to understand the complex immune response to pathogens. They can lead to a greater understanding of EID pathogenesis and facilitate the evaluation of newly developed vaccine-induced immunity in a timely manner. In recent years, advances in high throughput technologies have enabled researchers to successfully apply systems biology methods to analyze immune responses to a variety of pathogens and vaccines. Despite recent advances, computational and biological challenges impede wider application of systems biology approaches. This review highlights recent advances in the fields of systems immunology and vaccinology, and presents ways that systems biology-based platforms can be applied to accelerate a deeper understanding of the molecular mechanisms of immunity against EIDs.

Successes and failures in human tuberculosis vaccine development

INTRODUCTION

Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease caused mainly by Mycobacterium tuberculosis. In 2016, the WHO estimated 10.5 million new cases and 1.8 million deaths, making this disease the leading cause of death by an infectious agent. The current and projected TB situation necessitates the development of new vaccines with improved attributes compared to the traditional BCG method. Areas covered: In this review, the authors describe the most promising candidate vaccines against TB and discuss additional key elements in vaccine development, such as animal models, new adjuvants and immunization routes and new strategies for the identification of candidate vaccines. Expert opinion: At present, around 13 candidate vaccines for TB are in the clinical phase of evaluation; however, there is still no substitute for the BCG vaccine. One major impediment to developing an effective vaccine is our lack of understanding of several of the mechanisms associated with infection and the immune response against TB. However, the recent implementation of an entirely new set of technological advances will facilitate the proposal of new candidates. Finally, development of a new vaccine will require a major coordination of effort in order to achieve its effective administration to the people most in need of it.

Personalized vaccinology: A review

At the current time, the field of vaccinology remains empirical in many respects. Vaccine development, vaccine immunogenicity, and vaccine efficacy have, for the most part, historically been driven by an empiric “isolate-inactivate-inject” paradigm. In turn, a population-level public health paradigm of “the same dose for everyone for every disease” model has been the normative thinking in regard to prevention of vaccine-preventable infectious diseases. In addition, up until recently, no vaccines had been designed specifically to overcome the immunosenescence of aging, consistent with a post-WWII mentality of developing vaccines and vaccine programs for children. It is now recognized that the current lack of knowledge concerning how immune responses to vaccines are generated is a critical barrier to understanding poor vaccine responses in the elderly and in immunoimmaturity, discovery of new correlates of vaccine immunogenicity (vaccine response biomarkers), and a directed approach to new vaccine development.

The new fields of vaccinomics and adversomics provide models that permit global profiling of the innate, humoral, and cellular immune responses integrated at a systems biology level. This has advanced the science beyond that of reductionist scientific approaches by revealing novel interactions between and within the immune system and other biological systems (beyond transcriptional level), which are critical to developing “downstream” adaptive humoral and cellular responses to infectious pathogens and vaccines. Others have applied systems level approaches to the study of antibody responses (a.k.a. “systems serology”), [1] high-dimensional cell subset immunophenotyping through CyTOF, [2,3] and vaccine induced metabolic changes [4]. In turn, this knowledge is being utilized to better understand the following: identifying who is at risk for which infections; the level of risk that exists regarding poor immunogenicity and/or serious adverse events; and the type or dose of vaccine needed to fully protect an individual. In toto, such approaches allow for a personalized approach to the practice of vaccinology, analogous to the substantial inroads that individualized medicine is playing in other fields of human health and medicine. Herein we briefly review the field of vaccinomics, adversomics, and personalized vaccinology.

New approaches and omics tools for mining of vaccine candidates against vector-borne diseases

Vector-borne diseases (VBDs) present a major threat to human and animal health, as well as place a substantial burden on livestock production. As a way of sustainable VBD control, focus is set on vaccine development. Advances in genomics and other "omics" over the past two decades have given rise to a "third generation" of vaccines based on technologies such as reverse vaccinology, functional genomics, immunomics, structural vaccinology and the systems biology approach. The application of omics approaches is shortening the time required to develop the vaccines and increasing the probability of discovery of potential vaccine candidates. Herein, we review the development of new generation vaccines for VBDs, and discuss technological advancement and overall challenges in the vaccine development pipeline. Special emphasis is placed on the development of anti-tick vaccines that can quell both vectors and pathogens.

An Overview of Novel Adjuvants Designed for Improving Vaccine Efficacy

Adjuvants incorporated in prophylactic and/or therapeutic vaccine formulations impact vaccine efficacy by enhancing, modulating, and/or prolonging the immune response. In addition, they reduce antigen concentration and the number of immunizations required for protective efficacy, therefore contributing to making vaccines more cost effective. Our better understanding of the molecular mechanisms of immune recognition and protection has led research efforts to develop new adjuvants that are currently at various stages of development or clinical evaluation. In this review, we focus mainly on several of these promising adjuvants, and summarize recent work conducted in various laboratories to develop novel lipid-containing adjuvants.

Microfabrication for Drug Delivery

This review is devoted to discussing the application of microfabrication technologies to target challenges encountered in life processes by the development of drug delivery systems. Recently, microfabrication has been largely applied to solve health and pharmaceutical science issues. In particular, fabrication methods along with compatible materials have been successfully designed to produce multifunctional, highly effective drug delivery systems. Microfabrication offers unique tools that can tackle problems in this field, such as ease of mass production with high quality control and low cost, complexity of architecture design and a broad range of materials. Presented is an overview of silicon- and polymer-based fabrication methods that are key in the production of microfabricated drug delivery systems. Moreover, the efforts focused on studying the biocompatibility of materials used in microfabrication are analyzed. Finally, this review discusses representative ways microfabrication has been employed to develop systems delivering drugs through the transdermal and oral route, and to improve drug eluting implants. Additionally, microfabricated vaccine delivery systems are presented due to the great impact they can have in obtaining a cold chain-free vaccine, with long-term stability. Microfabrication will continue to offer new, alternative solutions for the development of smart, advanced drug delivery systems.

Fully Synthetic Self-Adjuvanting α-2,9-Oligosialic Acid Based Conjugate Vaccines against Group C Meningitis

α-2,9-Polysialic acid is an important capsular polysaccharide expressed by serotype C Neisseria meningitidis. Its protein conjugates are current vaccines against group C meningitis. To address some concerns about traditional protein conjugate vaccines, a new type of fully synthetic vaccines composed of oligosialic acids and glycolipids was explored. In this regard, α-2,9-linked di-, tri-, tetra-, and pentasialic acids were prepared and conjugated with monophosphoryl lipid A (MPLA). Immunological studies of the conjugates in C57BL/6J mouse revealed that they alone elicited robust immune responses comparable to that induced by corresponding protein conjugates plus adjuvant, suggesting the self-adjuvanting properties of MPLA conjugates. The elicited antibodies were mainly IgG2b and IgG2c, suggesting T cell dependent immunities. The antisera had strong and specific binding to α-2,9-oligosialic acids and to group C meningococcal polysaccharide and cell, indicating the ability of antibodies to selectively target the bacteria. The antisera also mediated strong bactericidal activities. Structure-activity relationship analysis of the MPLA conjugates also revealed that the immunogenicity of oligosialic acids decreased with elongated sugar chain, but all tested MPLA conjugates elicited robust immune responses. It is concluded that tri- and tetrasialic acid-MPLA conjugates are worthy of further investigation as the first fully synthetic and self-adjuvanting vaccines against group C meningitis.

Reviewing the importance of the cold chain in the distribution of vaccines

Vaccination is an effective public health measure to prevent and control a number of infectious diseases. However, since vaccines are biological products and are sensitive to both heat and cold, they need to be maintained within a narrow range of temperatures, often referred to as the 'cold-chain'. This range, which is between +2°C and +8°C with a target +5°C, does not allow for refreezing or storage at room temperature. This paper discusses the importance of the cold chain, what should be done both to maintain it, and the actions to be taken, should a break be noted. It is important to note the product information supplied with vaccines, which is taken from the summary of product characteristics that forms part of the licensing requirements for each vaccine, and which will state how it should be stored. Using a vaccine that has not been stored according to these instructions constitutes off-label use, for which the individual practitioner must take responsibility. It also emphasises the fragile nature of many public health interventions, maintenance of which require constant vigilance and close cooperation between many groups and individuals.

Multiple Approaches for Increasing the Immunogenicity of an Epitope-Based Anti-HIV Vaccine

The development of a highly effective vaccine against the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) will likely be based on rational vaccine design, since traditional vaccine approaches have failed so far. In recent years, an understanding of what type of immune response is protective against infection and/or disease facilitated vaccine design. T cell-based vaccines against HIV have the goal of limiting both transmission and disease progression by inducing broad and functionally relevant T cell responses. In this context, CD4(+) T cells play a direct cytotoxic role and are also important for the generation and maintenance of functional CD8(+) T and B cell responses. The use of MHC-binding algorithms has allowed the identification of novel CD4(+) T cell epitopes that could be used in vaccine design, the so-called epitope-driven vaccine design. Epitope-based vaccines have the ability to focus the immune response on highly antigenic, conserved epitopes that are fully recognized by the target population. We have recently mapped a set of conserved multiple HLA-DR-binding HIV-1 CD4 epitopes and observed interferon (IFN)-γ-producing CD4(+) T cells when we tested these peptides in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from HIV-infected individuals. We then designed multiepitopic DNA vaccines that induced broad and polyfunctional T cell responses in immunized mice. In this review we will focus on alternative strategies to increase the immunogenicity of an epitope-based vaccine against HIV infection.

Novel antigen delivery systems

Vaccines represent the most relevant contribution of immunology to human health. However, despite the remarkable success achieved in the past years, many vaccines are still missing in order to fight important human pathologies and to prevent emerging and re-emerging diseases. For these pathogens the known strategies for making vaccines have been unsuccessful and thus, new avenues should be investigated to overcome the failure of clinical trials and other important issues including safety concerns related to live vaccines or viral vectors, the weak immunogenicity of subunit vaccines and side effects associated with the use of adjuvants. A major hurdle of developing successful and effective vaccines is to design antigen delivery systems in such a way that optimizes antigen presentation and induces broad protective immune responses. Recent advances in vector delivery technologies, immunology, vaccinology and system biology, have led to a deeper understanding of the molecular and cellular mechanisms by which vaccines should stimulate both arms of the adaptive immune responses, offering new strategies of vaccinations. This review is an update of current strategies with respect to live attenuated and inactivated vaccines, DNA vaccines, viral vectors, lipid-based carrier systems such as liposomes and virosomes as well as polymeric nanoparticle vaccines and virus-like particles. In addition, this article will describe our work on a versatile and immunogenic delivery system which we have studied in the past decade and which is derived from a non-pathogenic prokaryotic organism: the “E2 scaffold” of the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex from Geobacillus stearothermophilus.

Gaps in knowledge and prospects for research of adjuvanted vaccines

A panel of researchers working in different areas of adjuvanted vaccines deliberated over the topic, "Gaps in knowledge and prospects for research of adjuvanted vaccines" at, "Enhancing Vaccine Immunity and Value" conference held in July 2014. Several vaccine challenges and applications for new adjuvant technologies were discussed.

Progress and problems in vaccination against necrotic enteritis in broiler chickens

Necrotic enteritis in broilers is caused by Clostridium perfringens type A strains that produce the NetB toxin. Necrotic enteritis is one of the gastrointestinal diseases in poultry that has gained worldwide importance during the last decade due to efforts to improve broiler performance. Prevention strategies include avoiding predisposing factors, such as coccidiosis, and in-feed supplementation with a variety of feed additives. However, vaccination with modified toxin or other secreted immunogenic proteins seems a logical preventive tool for protection against a toxin-producing bacterium. Formalin-inactivated crude supernatant has been used initially for vaccination. Several studies have been carried out recently to identify the most important immunogenic and protective proteins that can be used for vaccination. These include the NetB toxin, as well as a number of other proteins. There is evidence that immunization with single proteins is not protective against severe challenge and that combinations of different antigens are needed. Most published studies have used multiple dosage vaccination regimens that are not relevant for practical use in the broiler industry. Single vaccination regimens for 1-day-old chicks appear to be non-protective. This review describes the history of vaccination strategies against necrotic enteritis in broilers and gives an update on future vaccination strategies that are applicable in the field. These may include breeder hen vaccination, in ovo vaccination and live attenuated vectors to be used in feed or in drinking water.

Chemical biology approaches to designing defined carbohydrate vaccines

Carbohydrate antigens have shown promise as important targets for developing effective vaccines and pathogen detection strategies. Modifying purified microbial glycans through synthetic routes or completely synthesizing antigenic motifs are attractive options to advance carbohydrate vaccine development. However, limited knowledge on structure-property correlates hampers the discovery of immunoprotective carbohydrate epitopes. Recent advancements in tools for glycan modification, high-throughput screening of biological samples, and 3D structural analysis may facilitate antigen discovery process. This review focuses on advances that accelerate carbohydrate-based vaccine development and various technologies that are driving these efforts. Herein we provide a critical overview of approaches and resources available for rational design of better carbohydrate antigens. Structurally defined and fully synthetic oligosaccharides, designed based on molecular understanding of antigen-antibody interactions, offer a promising alternative for developing future carbohydrate vaccines.

Carbohydrate-Based Vaccines: An Overview

Vaccination is one of the key developments in the fight against infectious diseases. It is based on the principle that immunization with pathogen-derived antigens provides protection from the respective infection by inducing an antigen-specific immune response. The discovery by Avery and Heidelberger in the 1920s that capsular polysaccharides (CPS) from Streptococcus pneumoniae are immunoreactive was the starting point of the development of carbohydrate-based vaccines. CPS-specific neutralizing antibodies were found to mediate protection against S. pneumoniae infection. Since the majority of bacterial pathogens carry a dense array of polysaccharides on their surface, the carbohydrate-based vaccine approach was applied to a variety of bacterial strains. The first CPS-based vaccines against S. pneumoniae were licensed in the 1940s. The increasing emergence of antibiotic-resistant bacterial strains since the 1960s boosted the development of carbohydrate-based vaccines and led to the approval of CPS-based vaccines against Neisseria meningitidis, Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib), and Salmonella typhi. Meanwhile, it was observed that CPS generally do not elicit protective antibody responses in children below the age of 2 years who are at the greatest risk of infection. As a consequence, studies refocused on the conjugation of oligosaccharides to proteins in order to increase vaccine immunogenicity which led to the introduction of the first glycoconjugate vaccine against Hib in 1987. Due to the success of the first glycoconjugate vaccines, higher valent formulations were developed against numerous bacterial infections to achieve broad serotype coverage. Current research also focuses on the development of carbohydrate-based vaccines against other pathogens such as viruses, fungi, protozoan parasites, or helminths.

Genome-based vaccine design: the promise for malaria and other infectious diseases

Vaccines are one of the most effective interventions to improve public health, however, the generation of highly effective vaccines for many diseases has remained difficult. Three chronic diseases that characterise these difficulties include malaria, tuberculosis and HIV, and they alone account for half of the global infectious disease burden. The whole organism vaccine approach pioneered by Jenner in 1796 and refined by Pasteur in 1857 with the "isolate, inactivate and inject" paradigm has proved highly successful for many viral and bacterial pathogens causing acute disease but has failed with respect to malaria, tuberculosis and HIV as well as many other diseases. A significant advance of the past decade has been the elucidation of the genomes, proteomes and transcriptomes of many pathogens. This information provides the foundation for new 21st Century approaches to identify target antigens for the development of vaccines, drugs and diagnostic tests. Innovative genome-based vaccine strategies have shown potential for a number of challenging pathogens, including malaria. We advocate that genome-based rational vaccine design will overcome the problem of poorly immunogenic, poorly protective vaccines that has plagued vaccine developers for many years.

Progress towards the 'Golden Age' of biotechnology

Biotechnology uses substances, materials or extracts derived from living cells, employing 22 million Europeans in a € 1.5 Tn endeavour, being the premier global economic growth opportunity this century. Significant advances have been made in red biotechnology using pharmaceutically and medically relevant applications, green biotechnology developing agricultural and environmental tools and white biotechnology serving industrial scale uses, frequently as process feedstocks. Red biotechnology has delivered dramatic improvements in controlling human disease, from antibiotics to overcome bacterial infections to anti-HIV/AIDS pharmaceuticals such as azidothymidine (AZT), anti-malarial compounds and novel vaccines saving millions of lives. Green biotechnology has dramatically increased food production through Agrobacterium and biolistic genetic modifications for the development of 'Golden Rice', pathogen resistant crops expressing crystal toxin genes, drought resistance and cold tolerance to extend growth range. The burgeoning area of white biotechnology has delivered bio-plastics, low temperature enzyme detergents and a host of feedstock materials for industrial processes such as modified starches, without which our everyday lives would be much more complex. Biotechnological applications can bridge these categories, by modifying energy crops properties, or analysing circulating nucleic acid elements, bringing benefits for all, through increased food production, supporting climate change adaptation and the low carbon economy, or novel diagnostics impacting on personalized medicine and genetic disease. Cross-cutting technologies such as PCR, novel sequencing tools, bioinformatics, transcriptomics and epigenetics are in the vanguard of biotechnological progress leading to an ever-increasing breadth of applications. Biotechnology will deliver solutions to unimagined problems, providing food security, health and well-being to mankind for centuries to come.

Vaccines, reverse vaccinology, and bacterial pathogenesis

Advances in genomics and innovative strategies such as reverse vaccinology have changed the concepts and approaches to vaccine candidate selection and design. Genome mining and blind selection of novel antigens provide a novel route to investigate the mechanisms that underpin pathogenesis. The resulting lists of novel candidates are revealing new aspects of pathogenesis of target organisms, which in turn drives the rational design of optimal vaccine antigens. Here we use the discovery, characterization, and exploitation of fHbp, a vaccine candidate and key virulence factor of meningococcus, as an illustrative case in point. Applying genomic approaches to study both the pathogen and host will ultimately increase our fundamental understanding of pathogen biology, mechanisms responsible for the development of protective immunity, and guide next-generation vaccine design.