The US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) will spend up to US$70 million on seven new vaccine adjuvant projects.

The lowdown: Only three vaccine adjuvants have been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration for use in human vaccines: alum, a mixture of aluminium salts that has been used in vaccines since the 1920s; GlaxoSmithKline's AS04, a combination of alum and an immune-stimulating lipid that is used in vaccines against human papilloma virus and hepatitis B virus; and GlaxoSmithKline's AS03, an oil-in-water adjuvant that was used in an H5N1 vaccine. New adjuvants, the NIAID hopes, could help to improve current vaccines, extend the vaccine supply or enhance vaccine efficacy in immune-compromised individuals. To this end, the NIAID is funding seven new adjuvant-discovery contracts, aiming in particular to find adjuvants that can activate the adaptive immune system.

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