FORINGEN

Vaccinations are the most effective and low-prized protection against infectious diseases. And many principles in immunization may also be valid for the treatment of tumors. To achieve an efficient immune response different strategies are pursued: viral or bacterial gene vectors can help to specifically target immune cells and elicit an immune response; DNA vaccines can mimic a real virus infection. A novel approach is the so called reverse vaccinology. Researchers analyze the genomic sequence of a pathogen on a computer to identify proteins that can be useful for immunization. The scientists in the research network FORINGEN aim to develop vaccination strategies against hepatitis C virus, herpes viruses and chlamydiae, which cause severe infection of the eye and other organs.