New generation of adjuvants for protection against disease and to combat bioterrorism

This chapter highlights the characteristics of traditional and non-traditional adjuvants, the advantages and disadvantages of their use in vaccines. It has so served to introduce the concept of molecular and host-derived adjuvants to improve immune outcomes while minimizing toxicities. A particular emphasis was placed on the generation of conformationally-restricted, response-selective agonists of the complement component C5a. These all appear to have therapeutic, manufacturing, and commercial potential. However, the development and use of such molecular adjuvants for vaccines represent only one approach put forward to meet the modern-day threats posed by antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria and bioterrorism. It is clear that a well-organized and concerted worldwide effort that utilizes multiple approaches to develop novel adjuvant and vaccine designs will be required to overcome these growing threats to human and animal populations.