Vaccines, Vaccination and the Immune Response

Written by two distinguished leaders in immunology and vaccine research, this volume reviews current work on new vaccines and defines the key immunological principles that govern vaccine development. The opening section describes current vaccines and those in late-stage clinical trials, surveys national and international immunization programs, and highlights future needs and opportunities in vaccine development. A major portion of the book examines the innate and adaptive immune systems, the roles of different immune responses in combatting infection, the mechanisms by which infectious agents evade or subvert immune responses, and the most effective ways of enhancing or selectively inducing different immune responses. The authors also discuss vaccine design, including peptide-based vaccines, rDNA technology, genetic (DNA) preparations, and methods for producing vaccine preparations in plants. The final section explores the prospects of immunotherapy for tumors, autoimmune diseases, and fertility control.