Peter Hambleton

Anthrax: the disease in relation to vaccines

The authors trace the origins and history of anthrax and anthrax vaccines. They describe the aetiology and pathogenesis of the disease and the variety of symptoms which result from infection. The authors relate the early work performed by Pasteur, the development of existing vaccines and the efficacy of these vaccines, and predict the type of non-living vaccines which may be used to combat anthrax in the future.

Herpes simplex virus genital infection of the female guinea pig as a model for the evaluation of an experimental vaccine

Substantial protection against herpes simplex type 2 (HSV 2) infection of the female guinea pig genital tract was provided by immunization with an experimental HSV 2 vaccine prepared from the plasma membranes of infected MRC-5 cells. Protection was evaluated in terms of the modification of histopathological lesions and clinical signs and in changes in viral replication and serological responses in vaccinated and control animals.

Characterization of Monoclonal Antibodies to Botulinum Type A Neurotoxin

The botulinum neurotoxin types primarily involved in human illness are types A, B, E and F. Type A neurotoxin is the most intensively studied of the neurotoxins. However the antigenic sites remain unknown. The aim of the current project is to study the structure and determine the location of the antigenic sites of the type A neurotoxin.

Biosafety in Downstream Processing

Separation processes in biotechnology such as centrifugation and homogenisation may pose a serious health risk to personnel due to their potential to produce aerosols of potentially allergenic biological material. Bioprocessing equipment should be monitored for released biological aerosols to ensure its safe operation. Manufacturers of downstream processing equipment should consider the need to design equipment so as to minimise biological aerosol release during operation. Methods for testing the biosafety performance of downstream processing equipment are described.

Approaches to the rational design of bacterial vaccines.

When Bacon wrote ‘Man seeketh in society comfort, use and protection’, he was not, as far as we know, referring to vaccines although his statement does encapsulate the essential features required of them. Vaccination has become an integral feature of life since the pioneering work of Jenner and Pasteur and has proved successful in diminishing the scourge of many infectious diseases. Many existing vaccines, developed on the basis of traditional, empirical principles, consist of killed or live attenuated (avirulent) microbes and act by inducing a broad immune response. By and large these vaccines have adequately fulfilled what was required of them although, in the case of enteric diseases, some have had little or no beneficial effect. In contrast a number of bacterial vaccines were designed to act by inducing specific immune protection, e. g. bacterial toxoid vaccines, although in general such vaccines were derived from relatively impure toxins.