Live vector vaccine

A live vector vaccine is a vaccine that uses a chemically weakened virus to transport pieces of the pathogen in order to stimulate an immune response.[1]

The genes used in this vaccine are usually antigen coding surface proteins from the pathogenic organism. They are then inserted into the genome of a non-pathogenic organism such as adenovirus where they are expressed on the cell's surface and can elicit an immune response.

An example is the hepatitis B vaccine, where Hepatitis B infection is controlled through the use of a recombinant vaccine, which contains a form of the hepatitis B virus surface antigen that is produced in yeast cells. The development of the recombinant subunit vaccine was an important and necessary development because hepatitis B virus, unlike other common viruses such as polio virus, cannot be grown in vitro.[2]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Glossary
  2. ↑ Vaccine information from Hepatitis B Foundation Archived 2011-06-28 at the Wayback Machine.


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