Plasmid-DNA lipid nanovaccines: An innovative approach for a better world health

One of the most important applications of immunology has been the production of various types of vaccines. Currently, new plasmid DNA (pDNA) vaccines are been developed, given rise to more cost-effective and clean production processes. These processes involve the upstream and downstream stages to produce, isolate, and purify the pDNA. The effectiveness of pDNA vaccines against pathogen microorganisms and cancer cells has been demonstrated in clinical assays and in commercial veterinary vaccines. However, low transfection efficiency and brief transgene expression have been attained in some trials. The use of cationic lipid-based nanoparticles to avoid these problems is an alternative approach that has been tested clinically. This chapter provides a summary of the advances and major challenges associated with the fusion of pDNA production technology and nanoparticle delivery technologies to produce pDNA lipid nanovaccines.