Bacterial ghosts as antigen delivery vehicles.

The bacterial ghost system is a novel vaccine delivery system unusual in that it combines excellent natural intrinsic adjuvant properties with versatile carrier functions for foreign antigens. The efficient tropism of bacterial ghosts (BG) for antigen presenting cells promotes the generation of both cellular and humoral responses to heterologous antigens and carrier envelope structures. The simplicity of both BG production and packaging of (multiple) target antigens makes them particularly suitable for use as combination vaccines. Further advantages of BG vaccines include a long shelf-life without the need of cold-chain storage due to their freeze-dried status, they are safe as they do not involve host DNA or live organisms, they exhibit improved potency with regard to target antigens compared to conventional approaches, they are versatile with regards to DNA or protein antigen choice and size, and as a delivery system they offer high bioavailability.