Many experimental and licensed vaccines depend on adjuvants to exert their protective effect. While several immunostimulatory compounds and formulations are available commercially for use in preclinical studies, these compounds generally cannot be advanced into clinical trials. Furthermore, head-to-head comparisons of novel experimental and existing adjuvants is hampered by limited availability of such reagents.

Currently, for infectious diseases, five adjuvants have been used in vaccines licensed in the United States (U.S.): Aluminum hydroxide/aluminum phosphate; AS04, which consists of 4’-monophosphoryl lipid A (MPL) and aluminum hydroxide; AS01B, a liposomal formulation of MPL and QS-21; MF59, an oil-in-water emulsion; and CpG 1018, a CpG Oligodinucleotide.

A successful tuberculosis (TB) vaccine would have a major impact on morbidity and mortality associated with TB, and on global TB control. However, vaccine strategies have fallen short due to limited understanding of the types of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) immunogens that induce long-term protective immunity. The design of an efficacious TB vaccine will also likely require formulation with appropriate vaccine adjuvants.

Numerous vaccine adjuvants are currently in development; however, the rational selection of adjuvants for specific vaccines is hindered by a lack of insights from formal side-by-side comparisons of adjuvants that include the creation of comprehensive immunological profiles.

Vaccine adjuvant researchers are invited to submit research proposals in response to NIAID’s parent announcements for R-type grants. Most projects submitted through the parent grant mechanisms focus on adjuvant mechanisms-of-action and early adjuvant development studies, as well as basic immunology studies that support the basis of adjuvant discovery and development, both efforts that are supported by NIAID through solicited programs.

Contact Information

Ari Joffe

Live-attenuated vaccines contain a wide variety of immune agonists and can provide durable protection, sometimes following a single immunization. Subunit antigen vaccines, however, generally lack immune stimulators and require the addition of exogenous adjuvants to induce protective immunity. A deeper understanding of the mechanisms underlying synergistic enhancement by combinations of adjuvants could recapitulate the immune stimulating properties of live-attenuated vaccines in a rational and controlled way.

The Adjuvant Discovery Program works to identify novel adjuvant candidates that can augment the efficacy of human vaccines.

Data generated from supported studies are made publicly available through the Vaccine Adjuvant Compendium (VAC), enabling the rational selection of adjuvants and the future development of more effective vaccines against infectious diseases and/or new vaccines to treat allergic or autoimmune diseases. These adjuvants will contribute to the pipeline of new adjuvants that do the following:

The NIAID Adjuvant Webinar Series is a monthly virtual presentation given on current research relating to vaccine adjuvants. Each month a new speaker is invited to share their findings with the adjuvant research community. The overall goals of the webinar series are to publicize recent developments in the adjuvant field and to encourage collaboration between adjuvant researchers. Webinars take place on the fourth Tuesday of every month from 12:30 – 1:30 p.m. (ET), with a hiatus during the summer and winter.