6 VIEWS & REVIEWS

Adjuvants critical to new vaaine development

The search for new immunoadjuvants which are suitable for clinical use should proceed hand-in­hand with the development of new vaccines say Fran~oise Audibert and Luc Lise from France. They add that such adjuvants should have several different activity profiles as an appropriate adjuvant must enhance the immune response and drive this response to achieve the appropriate type of protective immunity in each pathogenic situation.

Immunoadjuvants assist in overcoming the weak immunogenicity often encountered with the development of new vaccines. They can increase or modulate the antigen-specific immune response by selectively modulating the production of cytokines. Aluminium-containing (alum) compounds are currently used as adjuvants, but they are not active with all immunogens and only stimulate humoral responses.

lbefuture In their review, Audibert and Lise describe

several compounds which appear to have potential for future clinical use, for example in AIDS and cancer vaccines. These include: • saponins, such as Quil-A, which are of vegetal

origin and form immune-stimulating complexes (lSCOMS) in the presence of cholesterol

• nonionic block polymer surfaclants • monophosphoryllipid A and murarnyl dipeptides

which are of bacterial origin • and exogenous cytokines, such as interleukin 1 and

2 and interferon-yo Although genetic immunisation also holds

promise in the field of new vaccine development, 'ill )'kw of th~ immill~lIt Q)'aiiabilily of cun-ent ill)'~sti­gational vacCill~S, th~ COlltillUed s~arch for II~W a4ju)'ants ill highly justijUd' say Audibert and Lise. Audibert FM. Lise rD. Adjuvants: current status. clinical perspectives and future prospects. Trends in Pbarmacological Sciences 14: 174-178. May 1993 I0Il210771

7 Aug 1993 INPHARMA- ISSN 0158-2703193f0807..Q061$1 .000 Adla International Ltd