Application of aptamers for assessment of vaccine efficacy

Clin Exp Vaccine Res. 2017 Jul;6(2):160-163. doi: 10.7774/cevr.2017.6.2.160. Epub 2017 Jul 26.

Abstract

Assessing antigen concentration of vaccine is essential step in determining the quality of the vaccine prior to vaccination. After vaccination, vaccine-induced antibody titer should also be measured to verify the vaccine efficacy. Since conventional assay used for vaccine concentrations and induced Ab-titers is antibody-based enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, the assay inevitably brings drawbacks of antibody such as high cost for production, limited stability, and inconsistent quality between lot-to-lots. Aptamer is single-stranded nucleic acid having three-dimensional structure and has features overcoming limitations of antibody. This review will briefly introduce the features of aptamer and potential of aptamer-based system for evaluation of vaccine efficacy.

Keywords: Antibodies; Antigens; Aptamers; Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay; Vaccines.