Antigen identification starting from the genome: a "Reverse Vaccinology" approach applied to MenB

Most of the vaccines available today, albeit very effective, have been developed using traditional "old-style" methodologies. Technologies developed in recent years have opened up new perspectives in the field of vaccinology and novel strategies are now being used to design improved or new vaccines against infections for which preventive measures do not exist. The Reverse Vaccinology (RV) approach is one of the most powerful examples of biotechnology applied to the field of vaccinology for identifying new protein-based vaccines. RV combines the availability of genomic data, the analyzing capabilities of new bioinformatic tools, and the application of high throughput expression and purification systems combined with serological screening assays for a coordinated screening process of the entire genomic repertoire of bacterial, viral, or parasitic pathogens. The application of RV to Neisseria meningitidis serogroup B represents the first success of this novel approach. In this chapter, we describe how this revolutionary approach can be easily applied to any pathogen.