BioCentury
ARTICLE | Tools & Techniques

Port of entry

November 2, 1998 8:00 AM UTC

Most infections use the mucosal surfaces to enter the body, yet most vaccines generate only systemic immunity, ignoring the mucosal defense system. The only known immune booster active at the mucosa is cholera toxin, which works in rodents but is much too toxic for people.

CpG ImmunoPharmaceuticals Inc. has a new adjuvant that may fill the gap in immune stimulation. The agent, a nucleotide sequence based on bacterial DNA, stimulates IgA responses, the main arm of mucosal immunity. The adjuvant worked in mice given a hepatitis vaccine, and is expected to enter the clinic by the end of the year...