Subunit vaccine formulation: Evaluating the effect of formulation on the uptake of recombinant antigen by dendritic cells

Since the development of the first vaccines that comprised inactive or attenuated pathogens, there has been a drive to produce safer vaccine formulations comprising known and well-characterized components. One consequence of this has been the development of the subunit vaccines, which are more chemically defined and have an enhanced safety profile. Such subunit vaccines tend to comprise a recombinant protein antigen, or antigens, as the major vaccine component. In this application note, as part of a rational design approach, we describe an in vitro method to evaluate the effect of formulation on antibody uptake by human dendritic cells.