DNA Vaccines : Methods and Protocols

In the early 1990s, almost 200 yr after Edward Jenner demonstrated the effectiveness of the smallpox vaccine, a new paradigm for vaccination emerged. The conventional method of vaccination required delivery of whole pathogens or structural subunits, but in this new approach, DNA or genetic information was administered to elicit an immunological response. Once it was observed that plasmid DNA delivered in vivo led to production of an encoded transgene (1), two ground-breaking studies demonstrated that immunological responses could be generated against antigenic transgenes via plasmid DNA delivered by DNA vaccination (as this approach is called) (2,3). The appe- ance of this new vaccination strategy coincided with advances in molecular biology, which provided new tools to study and manipulate the basic elements of an organism’s genome and also could also be applied to the design and production of DNA vaccines. DNA Vaccines is a major updated and enhancement of the first edition. It reviews state-of-the-art methods in DNA vaccine technology, with chapters describing DNA vaccine design, delivery systems, adjuvants, current appli- tions, methods of production, and quality control. Consistent with the approach of the Methods in Molecular Medicine series, these chapters contain detailed practical procedures on the latest DNA vaccine technology. The enthusiasm for DNA vaccine technology is made clear by the number of research studies published on this topic since the mid-1990s.

From the reviews:

"...does an excellent job of describing the current methodologies in their development, what clinical benefit can be expected, and what is known of their mode of action...has thoroughly covered the current state of the art." -Antiviral Research

"The present book contains 41 chapters by experts in the field not only describing the state-of-the-art thinking on each topic, but, more importantly, providing a step-by-step recipe for constructing the cost effective plasmids and measuring host immune responses, both humoral and cellular, as well as all the stops in between including delivery, etc....an excellent roadmap as to how to proceed...This comprehensive collection of chapters is the first of its kind in the rapidly moving field to provide an excellent update of all of the recent advances and, more importantly, the actual technical approaches to developing vaccines. This is a book that should be in everyone's library who is interested in pursing studies employing DNA immunization and for graduate students interested in an up-to-date understanding of DNA vaccination." -FEBS Letters

"Its 41 chapters provide a valuable introduction, a series of working protocols, and a set of heavily referenced reviews of state-of-the-art methods in the production, use, and analysis of DNA vaccines. The various chapters are especially fruitful in their presentation of detailed techniques for making buffers and complex biological reagents." -Modern Drug Discovery

"Tecular Biology series, consists of 41 well written and referenced chapters dealing with certain aspects of DNA vaccination. The subjects addressed range from large scale plasmid isolation to DNA vaccination and autoimmunity, and illuminate the explosive growth this field has undergone in recent years. A substantial amount of the text concentrates on the practical aspects of processing DNA, quality control and immunological responses....In short, this book is a valuable addition to the library of all people actively involved in the field of DNA vaccination. Researchers will find the detailed protocols and innumerable reference valuable. I would recommend this book to any researcher in this field, if only to finally have a book with well organized and referenced protocols instead of a pile of coffee stained photocopies." -Today's Life Science

"The scope of the text is wide and covers virtually all aspects of the subject from the initial plasmid preparation and industrial scale up to the regulatory issues that will probably need to be addressed if such vaccines reach licensing stage." - The Journal of Medical Microbiology

"Work on the development of DNA vaccines continues aspace for a huge range of potential applications and this book will be invaluable for any laboratory involved in research in this field." -Microbiology Today

"It is packed with technical and scientific information that will be helpful to scientists working on vaccines. ... It is written for researchers in the field of vaccine development and those delving into the production of these vaccines. ... it is written clearly and is easy to follow ... . The research presented is exciting and is offered with clear explanations and rationale. ... This well organized book takes the reader from the conception of the vaccine to the production ... ." (Rebecca Horvat, Doody’s Book Review Service, January, 2007)