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Review
. 2016:2016:1459394.
doi: 10.1155/2016/1459394. Epub 2016 May 4.

Adjuvants: Classification, Modus Operandi, and Licensing

Juliana de Souza Apostólico  1 , Victória Alves Santos Lunardelli  1 , Fernanda Caroline Coirada  1 , Silvia Beatriz Boscardin  2 , Daniela Santoro Rosa  3
Affiliations
Review

Adjuvants: Classification, Modus Operandi, and Licensing

Juliana de Souza Apostólico et al. J Immunol Res. 2016.

Abstract

Vaccination is one of the most efficient strategies for the prevention of infectious diseases. Although safer, subunit vaccines are poorly immunogenic and for this reason the use of adjuvants is strongly recommended. Since their discovery in the beginning of the 20th century, adjuvants have been used to improve immune responses that ultimately lead to protection against disease. The choice of the adjuvant is of utmost importance as it can stimulate protective immunity. Their mechanisms of action have now been revealed. Our increasing understanding of the immune system, and of correlates of protection, is helping in the development of new vaccine formulations for global infections. Nevertheless, few adjuvants are licensed for human vaccines and several formulations are now being evaluated in clinical trials. In this review, we briefly describe the most well known adjuvants used in experimental and clinical settings based on their main mechanisms of action and also highlight the requirements for licensing new vaccine formulations.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Timeline of vaccine adjuvants discovery.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Adjuvants activate different immune innate receptors. TLRs (Toll-like receptors) and NLRs (NOD-like receptors).
Figure 3
Figure 3
The different stages of vaccine development.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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