This issue of The Scientist focuses on novel approaches to vaccines. Vaccines are “miracles” that have saved millions of human lives—more than any other medical intervention—by activating the body’s natural defenses to prevent infection. Likewise, veterinary vaccines protect our livestock and pets. Vaccines were originally produced to prevent infectious diseases, and this goal continues to be important. Today, however, there are also interesting developments in the use of vaccines to control noninfectious conditions, such as some types of cancer and Alzheimer’s disease, or, as discussed in this issue, cocaine addiction.
Humankind has benefited from more than 200 years of successful vaccine use. (See time line.) One hundred years ago, parents worried most about their children contracting diphtheria, and 50 years ago they worried about polio; today, the most serious childhood infections have largely disappeared from the developed world. Moreover, the World Health Organization officially declared the global eradication of smallpox ...
