Immunity to viruses: learning from successful human vaccines.

Area of Science:

• Immunology
• Vaccinology
• Systems Biology

Background:

• Historically, immunology and vaccinology operated in separate fields, using model antigens and organisms versus human trials.
• Relevance of model organism studies to human immunity has been questioned.
• Vaccine efficacy trials rarely explored the nature of immune responses.

Purpose of the Study:

• To bridge the gap between immunology and vaccinology by using human clinical trials to study immune responses.
• To provide mechanistic insights into human innate and adaptive immunity through 'systems vaccinology' studies.
• To highlight the potential of vaccines as models for understanding viral immunology.

Main Methods:

• Analyzing molecular profiles of innate and adaptive immune responses in humans post-vaccination.
• Utilizing studies of yellow fever vaccine (systemic viral infection model).
• Examining live attenuated and inactivated influenza vaccines to study localized, recall, and inactivated immunogen responses.

Main Results:

• Systems vaccinology studies are beginning to yield mechanistic insights into human immune responses to vaccination.
• Yellow fever vaccine studies illuminate responses to primary viral challenges.
• Influenza vaccine studies reveal details of mucosal, memory, and inactivated immunogen responses.

Conclusions:

• The integration of immunology and vaccinology through systems vaccinology offers unexpected insights into viral immunity.
• Vaccines serve not only for disease prevention but also as powerful tools for understanding fundamental immunology.
• Human vaccination models are crucial for advancing our knowledge of immune regulation and host-pathogen interactions.