Structural and Computational Biology in the Design of Immunogenic Vaccine Antigens

Vaccination is historically one of the most important medical interventions for the prevention of infectious disease. Previously, vaccines were typically made of rather crude mixtures of inactivated or attenuated causative agents. However, over the last 10–20 years, several important technological a...

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Main Authors: Lassi Liljeroos, Enrico Malito, Ilaria Ferlenghi, Matthew James Bottomley
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2015-01-01
Series:Journal of Immunology Research
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2015/156241
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author Lassi Liljeroos
Enrico Malito
Ilaria Ferlenghi
Matthew James Bottomley
author_facet Lassi Liljeroos
Enrico Malito
Ilaria Ferlenghi
Matthew James Bottomley
author_sort Lassi Liljeroos
collection DOAJ
description Vaccination is historically one of the most important medical interventions for the prevention of infectious disease. Previously, vaccines were typically made of rather crude mixtures of inactivated or attenuated causative agents. However, over the last 10–20 years, several important technological and computational advances have enabled major progress in the discovery and design of potently immunogenic recombinant protein vaccine antigens. Here we discuss three key breakthrough approaches that have potentiated structural and computational vaccine design. Firstly, genomic sciences gave birth to the field of reverse vaccinology, which has enabled the rapid computational identification of potential vaccine antigens. Secondly, major advances in structural biology, experimental epitope mapping, and computational epitope prediction have yielded molecular insights into the immunogenic determinants defining protective antigens, enabling their rational optimization. Thirdly, and most recently, computational approaches have been used to convert this wealth of structural and immunological information into the design of improved vaccine antigens. This review aims to illustrate the growing power of combining sequencing, structural and computational approaches, and we discuss how this may drive the design of novel immunogens suitable for future vaccines urgently needed to increase the global prevention of infectious disease.
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spelling doaj-art-31a2cc3c3fbe4f5ea0de23448bafeaa22025-08-20T02:07:40ZengWileyJournal of Immunology Research2314-88612314-71562015-01-01201510.1155/2015/156241156241Structural and Computational Biology in the Design of Immunogenic Vaccine AntigensLassi Liljeroos0Enrico Malito1Ilaria Ferlenghi2Matthew James Bottomley3Novartis Vaccines & Diagnostics S.r.l. (a GSK Company), Via Fiorentina 1, 53100 Siena, ItalyNovartis Vaccines & Diagnostics S.r.l. (a GSK Company), Via Fiorentina 1, 53100 Siena, ItalyNovartis Vaccines & Diagnostics S.r.l. (a GSK Company), Via Fiorentina 1, 53100 Siena, ItalyNovartis Vaccines & Diagnostics S.r.l. (a GSK Company), Via Fiorentina 1, 53100 Siena, ItalyVaccination is historically one of the most important medical interventions for the prevention of infectious disease. Previously, vaccines were typically made of rather crude mixtures of inactivated or attenuated causative agents. However, over the last 10–20 years, several important technological and computational advances have enabled major progress in the discovery and design of potently immunogenic recombinant protein vaccine antigens. Here we discuss three key breakthrough approaches that have potentiated structural and computational vaccine design. Firstly, genomic sciences gave birth to the field of reverse vaccinology, which has enabled the rapid computational identification of potential vaccine antigens. Secondly, major advances in structural biology, experimental epitope mapping, and computational epitope prediction have yielded molecular insights into the immunogenic determinants defining protective antigens, enabling their rational optimization. Thirdly, and most recently, computational approaches have been used to convert this wealth of structural and immunological information into the design of improved vaccine antigens. This review aims to illustrate the growing power of combining sequencing, structural and computational approaches, and we discuss how this may drive the design of novel immunogens suitable for future vaccines urgently needed to increase the global prevention of infectious disease.http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2015/156241
spellingShingle Lassi Liljeroos
Enrico Malito
Ilaria Ferlenghi
Matthew James Bottomley
Structural and Computational Biology in the Design of Immunogenic Vaccine Antigens
Journal of Immunology Research
title Structural and Computational Biology in the Design of Immunogenic Vaccine Antigens
title_full Structural and Computational Biology in the Design of Immunogenic Vaccine Antigens
title_fullStr Structural and Computational Biology in the Design of Immunogenic Vaccine Antigens
title_full_unstemmed Structural and Computational Biology in the Design of Immunogenic Vaccine Antigens
title_short Structural and Computational Biology in the Design of Immunogenic Vaccine Antigens
title_sort structural and computational biology in the design of immunogenic vaccine antigens
url http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2015/156241
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