Vaccines make good immune theater: Immunization as described in a three-act play

The immune response evolved to provide protection against infectious diseases. Optimal development of a protective immune response by a vaccine should mimic the steps and processes elicited during the establishment of natural immunity. Microbial infection triggers innate responses to the infection, which progresses through a series of stages consistent with the development of the action in a drama. The action is mediated by defined cellular characters whose costumes are described in CD#s with a molecular text consisting of cytokines, chemokines, antibodies, and other proteins. The main characters for initiating this drama are the dendritic cell (DC) and the T cell. Optimal activation of the DC by infection or immunization promotes the development of a more effective immune response. Newer approaches mimic or manipulate the stageplay that Mother Nature developed to promote proper DC presentation of antigen to T cells to initiate immune protection from microbial infection. This review will provide an overview of the immune response and introduce some basic and new concepts of vaccine development.