Plasmid DNA as Prophylactic and Therapeutic vaccines for Cancer and Infectious Diseases
Devin B. Lowe, Michael H. Shearer, Cynthia A. Jumper, En-Min Zhou and Ronald C. Kennedy
from: Plasmids: Current Research and Future Trends (Edited by: Georg Lipps). Caister Academic Press, U.K. (2008)
Abstract
Close to two decades of preclinical studies have validated the concept of plasmid DNA as a protective vaccine strategy for cancer and infectious diseases. However, the crossover application into human studies has been met with poor results based on the DNA vectorÕs inability to provide clinically relevant prophylactic and therapeutic benefit. The overall efficacy of plasmid DNA immunization will no doubt rely on a number of strategies that attempt to increase the vectorÕs immunogenicity while also correcting for factors involved in the specific activation of immune effector cells. This chapter will focus on the difficulties surrounding the use of a DNA vaccine in patients suffering from chronic or infectious diseases with particular interest in resolving the roadblocks for future vaccine success in human cancer cases read more ...
