Genetic vaccines — a revolution in vaccinology?

Genetic vaccines have been tested in a number of different species against more than 25 pathogens and, generally, have been shown to result in an immune response that is protective to challenge with the pathogen. Two clinical trials in healthy human adults were already initiated in 1996. Only time will show if this vaccination approach that evolved from gene therapy and was initially developed mainly by molecular biologists will indeed fulfill our current high hopes. In addition, this rather application-oriented vaccine approach will provide basic immunologists with a simple tool to study the rules that govern induction of primary immune responses.