The biotechnology revolution and new vaccines

The author reviews the principles underlying immunization and explains the basis of currently available vaccines. He then describes 2 new biotechnologies, namely peptide synthesis and genetic engineering, which have the capacity to produce both molecular vaccines and live, attenuated vaccines, of an extraordinary range. He mentions the limitations in the strength of some of the experimental vaccines and research being performed to overcome these. Examples are given of some of the vaccines in the research pipeline -- such as those against malaria, hepatitis B and a variety of diarrheal diseases including typhoid, cholera, and bacillary dysentery. He makes reference to new ways of using old vaccines, such as an inhaled aerosolized version of the measles vaccine.