Doubling duty

During an infection, pathogens often activate both the innate and adaptive arms of the immune system. In order to achieve a maximum immune response, VaxInnate Corp. uses a fusion protein containing a region that binds the Toll-like receptors (TLRs), which drive innate immunity, as well as a disease-specific antigen, which is required to elicit pathogen-specific B and T cell responses.

Vaccines that closely resemble the infectious agent, such as attenuated or inactivated pathogens, mimic the natural process of infection by activating the immune system in multiple ways. However, such vaccines can have unwanted side effects, including inducing disease instead of providing protection against it...