Vaccine adjuvant uses host DNA to boost pathogen recognition
Friday, April 5, 2013 - 18:00
in Biology & Nature
Aluminum salts, or alum, have been injected into billions of people as an adjuvant to make vaccines more effective. No one knows, however, how they boost the immune response. Researchers continue unraveling the mystery of adjuvants with a report that host DNA coats the alum adjuvant and induces two crucial cells to interact twice as long during the initial stimulation of the adaptive immune system.