As World Immunization Week nears its conclusion, and with our upcoming attendance at the annual meeting of the American Society of Mass Spectrometry on the brain, we have explored the expanding role that mass spectrometry (MS) is playing in the development and administration of vaccines. From its use in the characterization of antigens, assessment of immune response and even the detection of fake vaccines, to its latest technological developments and the potential pitfalls in analysis to watch out for, we cover all you need to know about the current state of play of MS in vaccinology. The role of MS in vaccine development For most of their history, vaccines have relied on presenting the human immune system with authentic, naturally occurring pathogenic particles such as antigens, toxins or the pathogen itself, which have been deactivated in some way. Throughout this era, MS played a limited role in vaccine development. However, as the next generation of recombinant antigens became possible, the importance of thoroughly characterizing the pathogenic antigens to be replicated – identifying their critical quality attributes (CQAs) – and quantifying and characterizing the recombinant antigens produced, became tantamount to the success of a new class of vaccines in development. As most antigens selected for use in vaccine development are high-molecular-weight, complex glycoproteins, they are good targets for analysis with MS, and the technique, frequently coupled with different forms of liquid chromatography (LC), has risen to become a vital pillar in this aspect of vaccine development. Using MS-based approaches, researchers can…
