DNA Vaccines

The use of DNA based vaccines is an alternative to conventional vaccines and which is a novel strategy now under development and evaluation for the prevention and treatment of many diseases because of its ability to induce both humoral and cellular immune responses against antigens encoded by recombinant DNA. A large amount of data has been generated in preclinical model systems, and more sustained cellular responses and more consistent antibody responses are being observed in the clinic. It can further be a choice of great interest for its simplicity, safety, stability and potentiality. However it lacks a major disadvantage of delivering genetic material to the immune cells, which must be targeted. This review focuses on the background and origin of DNA vaccines, the mechanisms involved in inducing an immune response, examples of possible useful experimental DNA vaccines, as well as an overview of safety issues, advantages and disadvantages and future promising perspectives.