Vaccination to Treat Noninfectious Diseases: Surveying the Opportunities

© 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Vaccination for the treatment and prevention of infectious diseases has been the most successful medical intervention from a public health perspective. The application of vaccination for treating noninfectious diseases is becoming more common, and there are many recent examples of applying vaccine technology to a diverse range of noninfectious diseases. In this chapter we attempt to separate the immunological requirements for the treatment of different classes of noninfectious diseases to show the underlying immunological mechanisms that have to be considered in the design of appropriate vaccines. Broadly, this encompasses treatments requiring the strong induction of immune responses, both humoral and cell mediated, or the downmodulation of an existing pathological immune response, either through immune deviation or suppression. We highlight the desired adjuvant qualities required for each approach and look at some of the potential dangers that may result from using vaccine formulations that push the immune system too far in one particular direction.