Purification of Supercoiled Plasmid -- Production of Plasmid DNA in Industrial Quantities According to cGMP Guidelines -- Development and Characterization of Lyophilized DNA Vaccine Formulations -- Repeated Use of Qiagen Columns in Large-Scale Preparation of Plasmid DNA -- The Immunology of DNA Vaccines -- Methodology Used in DNA-Based Prophylactic and Therapeutic Immunization Against Hepatitis B Virus in Chimpanzees -- Intramuscular and Intradermal Injection of DNA Vaccines in Mice and Primates -- Veterinary DNA Vaccines -- DNA-Based Immunization of Neonatal Mice -- Intramuscular Injection of DNA Vaccines in Fish -- Development of DNA Vaccines for Salmonid Fish -- CTL Analysis for Tumor Vaccines -- The Use of Bone Marrow-Chimeric Mice in Determining the MHC Restriction of Epitope-Specific Cytotoxic T Lymphocytes -- Immunostimulatory DNA Sequences -- Immunostimulatory CpG Motifs and DNA Vaccines -- In Vitro Assay of Immunostimulatory Activities of Plasmid Vectors -- Adjuvants for Plasmid DNA Vaccines -- Cytokine and Costimulatory Factor-Encoding Plasmids as Adjuvants for DNA Vaccination -- Optimization of DNA Vaccines Through the Use of Molecular Adjuvants -- Cytokine Fusion Constructs as DNA Vaccines Against Tumors -- The Use of Conventional Immunologic Adjuvants in DNA Vaccine Preparations -- Genetic Adjuvants -- DNA Immunization in Combination with the Immunostimulant Monophosphoryl Lipid A -- Controlled Plasmid Delivery and Gene Expression -- Mucosal Immunization with DNA Vaccines -- Preparations for Particle-Mediated Gene Transfer Using the Accell® Gene Gun -- Entrapment of Plasmid DNA Vaccines into Liposomes by Dehydration/Rehydration -- DNA-Based Vaccination with Polycistronic Expression Plasmids -- A Nonviral Cytoplasmic T7 Autogene System and Its Applications in DNA Vaccination -- Immunization with Naked DNA Coexpressing Antigen and Cytokine via IRES -- Genetic Subunit Vaccines -- Antigen Engineering in DNA Immunization -- Genetic Vaccination Targeting T-Cell Receptors -- Immunity to T-Cell Receptor -- DNA Fusion Vaccines Against B-Cell Tumors -- DNA-Based Vaccination Primes Tumor-Rejecting T-Cell Responses -- Development of Female Contraceptive Vaccine Through DNA Inoculation of Human Chorionic Gonadotropin Beta Subunit (hCGß) -- Genetic Immunization for Allergy Immunotherapy -- Preclinical Safety of DNA Vaccines -- DNA Vaccination -- Assuring the Quality, Safety, and Efficacy of DNA Vaccines.

In DNA Vaccines: Methods and Protocols, state-of-the-art review articles by leading experts summarize how to develop and employ the highly promising new DNA vaccines, what clinical results can be expected from their use, and what is known about how they work. Key topics range from vaccine design and construction to preparation and delivery methods, including the use of classical adjuvants, "genetic adjuvants," and the immunostimulatory properties of DNA and selected oligonucleotide sequences. Several contributors provide strategic ideas on antigen engineering and describe the particularly novel applications of DNA vaccine methodology that have recently emerged. In addition, there is a discussion of dendritic cells and antigen-presenting cells, the understanding of whose actions holds great promise for modulating the immune response, and thus for treating disease. Cutting-edge and comprehensive, DNA Vaccines: Methods and Protocols provides a broad panorama of the methods and thinking from which the vaccines of tomorrow will evolve, and so constitutes an invaluable sourcebook for both experts developing new applications and newcomers who want to gain mastery of the techniques and problems involved.