ABSTRACT
Recombinant DNA Technology Recombinant DNA technology was first successfully applied to vaccines over 25 years ago, with the production of a recombinant vaccine for Hepatitis B virus (HBV) (4). Although a vaccine based on purified HBV surface antigen (HBSAg), from the plasma of infected patients, was available since the 1970s, the expression in yeast of the HBSAg vaccine antigen provided the solution for a relatively simple, quick, and inexpensive process to produce a safer vaccine. This development also hallmarked the first VLP vaccine, as the recombinant HBSAg was able to self-assemble, facilitating purification and manufacture at the industrial level. Since this initial success, production of protein antigens using recombinant DNA techniques has become a standard practice for subunit vaccine development.
