Vaccines for unconventional diseases

When vaccines are mentioned most people think of immunization against childhood infectious diseases. However, in recent years the uses to which vaccines are being put has dramatically expanded beyond traditional infectious disease applications. Vaccines currently in preclinical and clinical development target prevention or treatment of a wide range of non-infectious diseases including cancer, allergy, asthma, diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, hypertension, heart disease, obesity, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkison’s disease and even nicotine and cocaine addiction. For the most part such vaccines aim to induce neutralizing antibodies against foreign or self-antigens, thereby blocking their activity and ability to induce disease. This commentary reviews key clinical advances in the area of unconventional vaccines and identifies some of the key challenges that need to be overcome in order for unconventional vaccines to move forward to medical and commercial success.