ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION The successes of the eradication of smallpox and the near eradication of polio have demonstrated that vaccination is a great tool for prevention of disease and control of epidemics and endemic disease (1,2). In the last 50 years, the number of new licensed vaccines has grown rapidly. Advances in technology and the use of reverse genetics are facilitating antigen discovery for many pathogens. However, as microorganisms evolve and adapt, vaccines must be modified to meet new challenges. There has also been a trend to an increase in vaccine antigens from single to multiple or combination antigens in a formulation. As new vaccines are developed, laboratory tools are needed to evaluate higher numbers and types of antigens and (for conjugate vaccines) to measure antibody (Ab) responses to carrier proteins such as tetanus toxoid, diphtheria cross-reactive material (CRM)197, meningococcal outer-membrane protein (OMP), or Haemophilus protein D, which can elicit protective responses upon vaccination. Thus, there is a growing demand for standardized high-throughput assays.
