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Therapeutic vaccination for chronic diseases: a new class of drugs in sight

Nature Reviews Drug Discovery volume 3, pages 81–88 (2004)Cite this article

Abstract

The induction of antibodies by prophylactic vaccination against infectious diseases has been the most effective medical intervention in human history. More recently, monoclonal antibodies specific for host proteins have proven to be highly effective for the treatment of acute and chronic diseases. However, the costs of protein therapies and their inconvenience for the patient are major obstacles for their wide-spread use. We suggest that the movement from the passive administration of monoclonal antibodies to active vaccination against self-molecules could be the next logical step in drug development, providing affordable medicines and broader patient acceptance and compliance.

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Figure 1: How B cells and TH cells collaborate and a way to circumvent TH cell tolerance.

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Acknowledgements

We would like to thank W. Renner, P. Müller, G. Jennings and M. Kopf for helpful discussions and S. Fellmann for excellent secretarial assistance.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Cytos Biotechnology AG, Wagistr 25, Schlieren-Zürich, Switzerland

    Martin F. Bachmann & Mark R. Dyer

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  1. Martin F. Bachmann
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Authors have shares and options in Cytos, a company involved in therapeutic vaccination.

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DATABASES

LocusLink

APP

gastrin

IL-5

IL-9

N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor-1

Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man

Alzheimer's disease

Crohn's disease

rheumatoid arthritis

psoriasis

FURTHER INFORMATION

Encyclopedia of Life Sciences

Vaccination of humans

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Bachmann, M., Dyer, M. Therapeutic vaccination for chronic diseases: a new class of drugs in sight. Nat Rev Drug Discov 3, 81–88 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrd1284

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