Serogroup B Meningococcus Vaccine
Serogroup B Meningococcus Vaccine
The First Vaccine Obtained Through Reverse Vaccinology: The Serogroup B Meningococcus Vaccine
from Jeannette Adu-Bobie, Beatrice Aricò, Marzia M. Giuliani and Davide Serruto writing in Vaccine Design: Innovative Approaches and Novel Strategies
Neisseria meningitidis was isolated over one hundred years when Anton Weicshelbaum identified the causative agent of cerebrospinal meningitis. Since its isolation in 1887, N. meningitidis has been recognized to cause endemic cases, case clusters, epidemics and pandemics of meningitis and devastating septicaemia. Despite over one century since its discovery, scientists have yet to identify a universal vaccine for this deadly bacterium. Although vaccines exist for several serogroups of pathogenic N. meningitidis, serotype B (MenB) has eluded scientists for decades, until the advent of genomics. The genome era has completely changed the way to design vaccines. The availability of the complete genome of microorganisms combined with a novel advanced technology has introduced a new prospective in vaccine research. This novel approach is now known as "Reverse Vaccinology" and N. meningitidis can be considered the first successful example of its application. A recent review describes the successful story of the development of the serogroup B vaccine, starting from the analysis of genome and finishing with the results obtained in clinical trials.
Further reading: Vaccine Design: Innovative Approaches and Novel Strategies | Neisseria: Molecular Mechanisms of Pathogenesis
from Jeannette Adu-Bobie, Beatrice Aricò, Marzia M. Giuliani and Davide Serruto writing in Vaccine Design: Innovative Approaches and Novel Strategies
Neisseria meningitidis was isolated over one hundred years when Anton Weicshelbaum identified the causative agent of cerebrospinal meningitis. Since its isolation in 1887, N. meningitidis has been recognized to cause endemic cases, case clusters, epidemics and pandemics of meningitis and devastating septicaemia. Despite over one century since its discovery, scientists have yet to identify a universal vaccine for this deadly bacterium. Although vaccines exist for several serogroups of pathogenic N. meningitidis, serotype B (MenB) has eluded scientists for decades, until the advent of genomics. The genome era has completely changed the way to design vaccines. The availability of the complete genome of microorganisms combined with a novel advanced technology has introduced a new prospective in vaccine research. This novel approach is now known as "Reverse Vaccinology" and N. meningitidis can be considered the first successful example of its application. A recent review describes the successful story of the development of the serogroup B vaccine, starting from the analysis of genome and finishing with the results obtained in clinical trials.
Further reading: Vaccine Design: Innovative Approaches and Novel Strategies | Neisseria: Molecular Mechanisms of Pathogenesis