Mucosal Immunology and Vaccine Development

Vaccine Delivery Systems

Mucosal surfaces are a major gateway for many human pathogens that are the cause of infectious diseasesworldwide. Vaccines capable of eliciting mucosal immune responses can fortify defenses at mucosal front lines and protect against infection. However, most permitted vaccines are administered parenterally and fail to produce protective mucosal immunity. Immunization by mucosal routes may be more effective at inducing protective immunity against mucosal pathogens at their sites of entry. Recent advances in mucosal immunity and identification of correlates of protective immunity against specific mucosal pathogens have renewed interest in the development of mucosal vaccines.