In the early 1990s, almost 200 yr after Edward Jenner demonstrated the effectiveness of the smallpox vaccine, a new paradigm for vaccination emerged. The conventional method of vaccination required delivery of whole pathogens or structural subunits, but in this new approach, DNA or genetic information was administered to elicit an immunological response. Once it was observed that plasmid DNA delivered in vivo led to production of an encoded transgene (1), two ground-breaking studies demonstrated that immunological responses could be generated against antigenic transgenes via plasmid DNA delivered by DNA vaccination (as this approach is called) (2,3). The appe- ance of this new vaccination strategy coincided with advances in molecular biology, which provided new tools to study and manipulate the basic elements of an organism's genome and also could also be applied to the design and production of DNA vaccines. DNA Vaccines is a major updated and enhancement of the first edition. It reviews state-of-the-art methods in DNA vaccine technology, with chapters describing DNA vaccine design, delivery systems, adjuvants, current appli- tions, methods of production, and quality control. Consistent with the approach of the Methods in Molecular Medicine series, these chapters contain detailed practical procedures on the latest DNA vaccine technology. The enthusiasm for DNA vaccine technology is made clear by the number of research studies published on this topic since the mid-1990s.

In this completely revised and updated second edition of DNA Vaccines: Methods and Protocols, W. Mark Saltzman presents a comprehensive collection of DNA vaccine protocols, written by leading experts in the groundbreaking field of DNA vaccination. Divided into five sections, this volume contains state-of-the-art and practical procedures on the latest DNA vaccine technology. Part I contains DNA vaccine design protocols, focusing on methods that achieve optimal expression in host cells. Part II is dedicated to presenting methods for DNA delivery, and covers both the range of administration methods available for vaccine administration and a variety of techniques for improving the efficiency of delivery into cells. Part III discusses current available methods, including adjuvant and prime-boost approaches, for enhancing the potency of DNA vaccines. Part IV describes several key areas of application in the field, including allergy, avoidance of autoimmunity, and neonate and infant vaccine response. DNA Vaccines: Methods and Protocols, Second Edition concludes with a review of protocols for vaccine production and purification, and applicable quality control methods.
This collection of up-to-date protocols demonstrates the tremendous progress that has been made in the field of DNA vaccination since the initial appearance of this new vaccination strategy. Given current enthusiasm for the magnificent potential for this technology among the scientific community, researchers will find tremendous value in this updated and enhanced molecular methods guide.