Vaccine technology combination vaccines

Hepatitis B vaccine is manufactured using recombinant DNA technology to express hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) in yeast. This is further purified with biochemical separation techniques to produce the vaccine. The vaccines are formulated to contain 10 to 40 meg of HBsAg protein/mL. Hepatitis B vaccine is available as a single component or in combination vaccines. 

Advances in technology now allow for more directed and coordinated approaches in vaccine development against biological warfare agents and endemic diseases. The development of combination vaccines that eliminate the need for multiple... 

On the basis of current research it may be possible to speculate about future directions for vaccine development. For example, controlled-release drug systems are well recognized and have appeared in clinical practice. It seems reasonable to ask if the same technology could be applied to vaccines. What would be ideal is a vaccine that only required a single dose which incorporated that booster dose so often necessary for complete effectiveness. If this in turn was combined with heat stability to overcome the problem of maintaining an effective cold chain for distribution in tropical countries we would be well on the way to providing an ideal product. 

Preparation of the killed vaccine involves the additional steps of concentrating and purifying the viruses, followed by inactivation with formaldehyde. The final vaccine is a combination of the three serotypes with a stabilizer such as human serum albumen and possibly a preservative (5). The development of bioreactor technology suitable for preparing the cell substrates for poliovirus propagation has allowed for greater ease in preparing more potent and additionally purified inactivated poliovirus vaccines (6). 

Profile Founded in May 1981, Chiron is a 1 + billion science-driven healthcare company that combines diagnostic, vaccine, and therapeutic strategies for controlling disease. The company has research programs in gene therapy, combinatorial chemistry, cancer, infectious and cardiovascular disease, and critical care through its Chiron Technologies business unit. 

---