Different approaches to potentiate the immune response induced by a 12-mer synthetic peptide

Interest in synthetic immunogenic peptides is increasingly growing due to the continuous achievements in the understanding of the molecular basis of the immune response. Moreover, the use of peptide fragments to generate antibodies capable of recognizing and neutralizing viral particles could be a valuable alternative to conventional vaccines: they are safe, they can be designed to induce defined immune responses and they can be synthesised in large quantities in high purity. However, their relatively low immunogenicity requires the development of effective adjuvants and/or their incorporation into controlled release formulations. Several different strategies have been used for the induction and analysis of protective immune responses induced by short peptides against infectious diseases. In the present article we summarise the different approaches used to potentiate the immune response induced by a continuous epitope of hepatitis A virus: co-linear link of T-cell epitopes in different orientations, incorporation into liposomes, and preparation of homogeneous and heterogeneous Multiple Antigenic Peptides.