The unusual glycosylation patterns on cancer cells, which harbor carbohydrate structures that are rarely seen on healthy tissue, provide a tempting target for the design of anti-cancer vaccines for immunotherapy. Unfortunately, carbohydrates tend to be poor immunogens. Much of the work in the carbohydrate-based cancer vaccine field is focused on boosting the immune system's response to these antigens. Scientists have had moderate success in this endeavor with strategies that include adding T-cell epitopes to the antigens, incorporating adjuvants in the vaccine injection mixture or directly conjugated to the vaccine, and priming immune cells outside of the body and re-injecting them, but no breakthrough strategy has emerged. Despite all this effort, to date no carbohydrate-based cancer vaccine has won approval from the Food and Drug Administration, and only one peptide-based cancer vaccine has been approved. Chapter 1 describes some of the strategies that have been pursued in the quest to develop effective cancer immunotherapies, particularly those based on carbohydrate antigens. Later in the chapter, I introduce a new strategy to break immune self-tolerance based on vaccines built from modified carbohydrate antigens, and discuss some of the precedent established by our laboratory and others that suggests the new strategy is viable. In Chapter 2, I describe the synthesis of a panel of four vaccine constructs based on the disaccharide sialyl Tn. Then, I discuss the immune response elicited against the vaccines in rabbits based on ELISA analysis of their polyclonal antisera.

This book is the first of its kind entirely dedicated to carbohydrate vaccines written by renowned scientists with expertise in carbohydrate chemistry and immunochemistry. It covers the synthesis of carbohydrate antigens related to bacteria and parasites such as: Heamophilus influenza, Streptococcus pnemoniae, Shigella flexneri, Candida albicans, Mycobacterium tuberculosis, and Chlamydia. The first three chapters are of wide interest as they cover fundamental concerns in new vaccine developments. The first one presents the immune system and how carbohydrate antigens are processed before protective antibodies are produced. It also illustrates antigen presentation in the context of major histocompatibility complexes (MHCs). The second chapter describes regulatory issues when carbohydrate vaccines are involved while the third one discuss several techniques used in conjugation chemistry and the implication of certain chemical linkages that may induce unexpected anti-linker antibodies. This section will be particularly appealing for those involved in drug-conjugate design, pro-drug developments, and drug vectorization. The book concludes with one chapter that illustrates the principle through which peptide antigens can functionally mimic carbohydrate epitopes, thus, unraveling the potential for peptide surrogates as replacement for complex carbohydrate structures. This book is unique in that it covers all aspects related to carbohydrate vaccines including the success story with the first semi-synthetic bacterial polysaccharide vaccine against Heamophilus influenza type b responsible for pneumonia and meningitis, liable for more than 600,000 infant deaths worldwide in developing countries. The book also presents regulatory issues and will thus be vital for government agencies approving candidate vaccines. It widely covers synthetic methodologies for the attachment of carbohydrate antigens to peptides and immunogenic protein carriers. Vaccines against bacterial antigens, cancer, and parasites are also discussed by worldwide experts in this field in details. No other book contains such a wide panel of different expertise. It will also be useful to students and researchers involved with the immunology of forreings antigens and how the under appreciated carbohydrate antigens are processed by the immune system.

Immunopotentiators in Modern Vaccines provides an in-depth insight and overview of a number of most promising immunopotentiators in modern vaccines. In contrast to existing books on the subject it provides recent data on the critical mechanisms governing the activity of vaccine adjuvants and delivery systems. Knowledge of immunological pathways and scenarios of the cells and molecules involved is described and depicted in comprehensive illustrations. - Contributions from leading international authorities in the field - Well-illustrated, informative figures present the interactions between immunopotentiators and the host immune system - Each chapter lists advantages and potential hurdles for achieving a practical application for the specific immunopentiator

In 1900, for every 1,000 babies born in the United States, 100 would die before their first birthday, often due to infectious diseases. Today, vaccines exist for many viral and bacterial diseases. The National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act, passed in 1986, was intended to bolster vaccine research and development through the federal coordination of vaccine initiatives and to provide relief to vaccine manufacturers facing financial burdens. The legislation also intended to address concerns about the safety of vaccines by instituting a compensation program, setting up a passive surveillance system for vaccine adverse events, and by providing information to consumers. A key component of the legislation required the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to collaborate with the Institute of Medicine to assess concerns about the safety of vaccines and potential adverse events, especially in children. Adverse Effects of Vaccines reviews the epidemiological, clinical, and biological evidence regarding adverse health events associated with specific vaccines covered by the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (VICP), including the varicella zoster vaccine, influenza vaccines, the hepatitis B vaccine, and the human papillomavirus vaccine, among others. For each possible adverse event, the report reviews peer-reviewed primary studies, summarizes their findings, and evaluates the epidemiological, clinical, and biological evidence. It finds that while no vaccine is 100 percent safe, very few adverse events are shown to be caused by vaccines. In addition, the evidence shows that vaccines do not cause several conditions. For example, the MMR vaccine is not associated with autism or childhood diabetes. Also, the DTaP vaccine is not associated with diabetes and the influenza vaccine given as a shot does not exacerbate asthma. Adverse Effects of Vaccines will be of special interest to the National Vaccine Program Office, the VICP, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, vaccine safety researchers and manufacturers, parents, caregivers, and health professionals in the private and public sectors.

In light of the discovery of Autoimmune Syndrome Induced by Adjuvants, or ASIA, Vaccines and Autoimmunity explores the role of adjuvants – specifically aluminum in different vaccines – and how they can induce diverse autoimmune clinical manifestations in genetically prone individuals. Vaccines and Autoimmunity is divided into three sections; the first contextualizes the role of adjuvants in the framework of autoimmunity, covering the mechanism of action of adjuvants, experimental models of adjuvant induced autoimmune diseases, infections as adjuvants, the Gulf War Syndrome, sick-building syndrome (SBS), safe vaccines, toll-like receptors, TLRS in vaccines, pesticides as adjuvants, oil as adjuvant, mercury, aluminum and autoimmunity. The following section reviews literature on vaccines that have induced autoimmune conditions such as MMR and HBV, among others. The final section covers diseases in which vaccines were known to be the solicitor – for instance, systemic lupus erythematosus – and whether it can be induced by vaccines for MMR, HBV, HCV, and others. Edited by leaders in the field, Vaccines and Autoimmunity is an invaluable resource for advanced students and researchers working in pathogenic and epidemiological studies.

The field of pharmaceutical biotechnology is evolving rapidly. A whole new arsenal of protein pharmaceuticals is being produced by recombinant techniques for cancer, viral infections, cardiovascular and hereditary disorders, and other diseases. In addition, scientists are confronted with new technologies such as polymerase chain reactions, combinatorial chemistry and gene therapy. This introductory textbook provides extensive coverage of both the basic science and the applications of biotechnology-produced pharmaceuticals, with special emphasis on their clinical use. Pharmaceutical Biotechnology serves as a complete one-stop source for undergraduate pharmacists, and it is valuable for researchers and professionals in the pharmaceutical industry as well.

Rapid progress in the definition of tumor antigens, and improved immunization methods, bring effective cancer vaccines within reach. In this wide-ranging survey, leading clinicians and scientists review therapeutic cancer vaccine strategies against a variety of diseases and molecular targets. Intended for an interdisciplinary readership, their contributions cover the rationale, development, and implementation of vaccines in human cancer treatment, with specific reference to cancer of the cervix, breast, colon, bladder, and prostate, and to melanoma and lymphoma. They review target identification, delivery vectors and clinical trial design. The book begins and ends with lucid overviews from the editors, that discuss the most recent developments.