HPVVaccine

Abstract

The discovery in the early 1970s that cervical cancer was caused by infection with human papillomavirus (HPV) stimulated a highly successful vaccine development programme based on the use of recombinant deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) technology to produce virus proteins in a form that can stimulate powerful and long lasting antibody responses. The vaccines have been designed as combinations to target the HPV virus types that are responsible for most human disease. Clinical trials have shown that it is possible to prevent both genital warts and the early stages of cervical cancer through vaccination and this has led to licensure and use of HPV vaccines in many countries throughout the world. Progression from initial virus infection to development of invasive cancer is often very slow, however, and so it will be many years before the impact of the vaccine on the overall disease burden is fully understood. Key Concepts Vaccine development Virus‐like particles Recombinant protein expression Immunization against an epithelial infection Prevention of papillomavirus‐induced disease