Vaccine Protocols (Methods in Molecular Medicine)

This extensively revised, updated, and expanded second edition of a classic laboratory manual applies new understanding of molecular mechanisms to the rational design and development of vaccines. Here the working researcher will find readily reproducible techniques for the development and production of live attenuated vaccines, and vaccines based on inactivated toxins, peptides, and polysaccharide conjugates. New to this edition are cutting-edge chapters on two different viral vectors (Vaccinia and Semliki Forest), lactic acid bacteria for delivery of foreign antigens, incorporation of immunomodulators into plasmid DNA vaccines, construction of tetramer complexes to detect CMI responses, assessment of functional antibody responses, and the use of complete genome sequences for vaccine design. There are also chapters describing more general techniques for vaccine formulation, delivery, and assessment of immune responses, and review discussions of scale-up to manufacture, vaccine quality assurance, and clinical trials.