Genomics, Proteomics and Vaccines

The field of vaccine development is one of the first to benefit from the new technologies of genomics, proteomics and bioinformatics. The complete genome sequences of many bacteria are available and comparisons of pathogenic strains with non-pathogenic relatives are becoming common. Vaccines can now be targeted towards specific gene products that traditional vaccine research failed to discover. This book describes the current status of this field and summarizes the various strategies that are delivering results.

The introductory section provides an overview of vaccine research and looks at how genomics can complement traditional approaches. The second section focuses on advanced technologies, such as genome sequence analysis, microarrays, proteomics and high-throughput cloning.

The third section constitutes the unique part of this book, with six chapters that describe the application of genomic and proteomic techniques in the search for new antibacterial vaccines. The target pathogens include meningococcus B, streptococci, chlamydia and Pseudomonas.

Infectious diseases are once again threatening the health of human populations, even in countries where they were thought to have been controlled. With the spread of antibiotic resistance, the concept of prevention rather than cure becomes ever more important. The new genomic approaches described in this book will help to accelerate vaccine development and benefit the health of millions of people worldwide.

This book should be of interest to all those working in vaccine discovery and development in pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies as well as in academic institutions.