Vaccines are among the greatest achievements of modern medicine, leading to the eradication of naturally occurring smallpox, the near elimination of polio and the control of diseases such as rotavirus and hepatitis A and B in industrialized countries. Conventional vaccines, however, protect against a limited number of infectious diseases and, in some cases, provide incomplete protection. Effective vaccines against common infections such as HIV, hepatitis C and malaria remain an unmet medical need. These gaps, together with the threat of resurgence of eradicated diseases, contribute to the growing need for the development of new vaccines and the improvement of existing ones. Approximately 250 scientists and vaccine experts from around the world gathered at Cambridge Healthtech Institute's 3rd Annual Immunotherapeutics and Vaccine Summit (ImVacS 2008) to present the latest developments in this field and to discuss, in 64 presentations, the challenges and current approaches to development and production of novel vaccines.