The Density Code for the Development of a Vaccine?
The development of prophylactic vaccines remains largely empirical in nature and rarely have general rules been applied in the strategic decision and the formulation of a viral vaccine. Currently, there are a total of 15 virus agents from 12 unique virus families with vaccines licensed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Extensive structural information on these viral particles and potential mechanisms of protection are available for the majority of these virus pathogens and their respective vaccines. Here I review the quantitative features of these viral surface antigens in relation to the molecular mechanisms of B-cell activation and point out a potential correlation between the density of immunogenic proteins displayed on the surface of the vaccine antigen carrier and the success of a vaccine. These features help us understand the humoral immunity induced by viral vaccines on a quantitative ground and re-emphasize the importance of antigen density on the activation of the immune system. Although the detailed mechanisms behind this phenomenon remain to be explored, it implies that both the size of antigen carriers and the density of immunogenic proteins displayed on these carriers are important parameters that may need to be optimized for the formulation of a vaccine.
['Cheng|Wei|W|']
D000818:Animals D000956:Antigens, Viral D001402:B-Lymphocytes D004339:Drug Compounding D055808:Drug Discovery D006801:Humans D056724:Immunity, Humoral D014765:Viral Vaccines D014777:Virus Diseases
vaccines B-cell activation B-cell receptor immune response immunology nanoparticles particulate antigen protein density vaccine delivery