Immune epitope mapping in the post-genomic era: lessons for vaccine development.

La Jolla Institute for Allergy and Immunology, Division of Vaccine Discovery, 9420 Athena Circle, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA. alex@liai.org

Technological advances have allowed for the creation of ever more complete maps of targets of immune responses in infectious pathogens. The evidence accumulating from such recent studies points to a broader range of targets recognized than previously expected, in terms of both numbers and characteristics of the targeted antigens. Also, multiple studies report a substantial variation in the targets recognized in different human individuals. These findings are not in conflict with the concept of immunodominance, because there are still only a few targets recognized compared with the multitude of potential targets available in a complex pathogen. However, they raise the question if vaccines, which try to emulate protective natural immune responses, should elicit an equally broad range of responses to efficiently convey protection.

PMID: 17113275 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]