[Recent developments in the preparation of vaccines (author's transl)]

Recent developments in biochemistry, immunology and organic chemistry suggest two new methods of producing vaccines. These new procedures which may perhaps be adopted in the future, are described. It is shown that, in the case of foot- and mouth disease, viral protein 1 (VP1) rather than the complete virus may be used in a vaccine. This protein could be produced by genetic manipulation. The isolated antigenic site responsible for inducing neutralizing anti-bodies might also be utilized in a vaccine. This antigenic site which probably is not any longer than ten amino acids, may be produced by organic chemical synthesis once its sequence is known. Both in the case of VP1 and in that of the antigenic site, the immunogenities of these products have to be increased as VP1 is less immunogenic than a comparable amount of complete virus, whereas the antigenic site presumably is not immunogenic at all. These new vaccines are safer and possibly cheaper to produce than the classical ones are. Moreover vaccines against viral diseases could be produced, which cannot be obtained by classical methods.