Many vaccines, such as those for the flu, are not working at full power. They could get a boost from the addition of substances called adjuvants, which amplify the immune response to vaccination. But some say a plodding approach to vaccine safety has hindered approval of new adjuvants, particularly in the United States.
Schubert examines how new research on adjuvants has the potential to improve existing vaccines and to lead to effective inoculations against big killers such as malaria. She also explores the implications of adding adjuvant to the H1N1 ‘swine' flu vaccine-a potentially life-saving move that the United States, in the end, opted out of.
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