Medical Book Review

New Generation Vaccines, Fourth Edition
Editors: Myron M. Levin (Editor-in-Chief), Gordon Dougan, Michael F. Good, Margaret A. Liu, Gary J. Nabel, James P. Nataro, and Rino Rappuoli
2009 Informa Healthcare

ISBN 1-4200-6073-2
Price: $500. Hardcover
Available from: Informa Healthcare Books

Reviewer:
Dr. Michael S. Gold, MbCHB, DCH, MD, FCP, FRACP
Discipline of Paediatrics
Adelaide University
Adelaide, South Australia

Description
This is the 4th edition of New Generation Vaccines, a collection of 89 chapters covering a wide and varied range of vaccine topics. A review of the chapters provides evidence of how far the science of vaccination has progressed over the past 214 years since Jenner's first experiment in 1796. The text covers diverse subjects such as the ethics of conducting vaccine trials to applying new technologies to vaccine development.

Essentially the areas covered in these multiple chapters can be broadly grouped into those topics that are relevant to the development of a new vaccine including pre-licensure trials, the many issues that are now relevant to the global funding and supply of vaccines (particularly in developing countries), novel methods of vaccine development and chapters covering specific vaccines. Bringing these chapters together in one text highlights the complexities involved in the multiple stages of vaccine development, evaluation in clinical trials and eventual registration and post-licensure monitoring.

Of particular interest in the current edition is the updated report about the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation and the impact of this effort on the funding and supply of vaccines in the developing world. Other issues of interest covered in the current edition include how advances in genomic technology are contributing to the development of novel vaccines, how an understanding of the innate immune system can aid in the development of vaccine adjuvants and the development of new vaccines against possible bioterrorism and pandemic threats.

Purpose
The purpose of this publication is to provide a detailed yet concise and referenced textbook. Each chapter is brief (usually less than 10 pages) but well referenced, reflecting the aim of providing an overview of complex topics, some of which are not covered in other vaccinology texts.

Audience
This is not a text for the generalist but for the specialist in immunology, vaccinology, or infectious disease. This textbook is likely to appeal most to those especially interested in basic immunology of vaccines and vaccine development. There is an emphasis on the development of novel vaccines, vaccines for non-infectious disease (for example, auto-immunity, cancer, and addiction), vaccines in special circumstances (such as the elderly and newborn) and novel technologies (for example, reverse vaccinology and novel adjuvants). Although some of the topics covered relate to public health, vaccine funding, licensure and manufacturing, these chapters are probably intended to provide context to those scientists involved in vaccine development rather than to be a primary source for those interested in public health.

Features
The diversity of this book is extensive with succinct and well referenced chapters. The major feature is that this text covers those infections that remain a challenge because by their very nature effective vaccines for them have yet to be developed. Understanding the basic immuno-pathogenesis of these infections is critical, since without this understanding effective vaccines cannot be developed.

Assessment
In such an expanding and advancing science the challenge is to provide a text which remains current and relevant. This textbook succeeds in providing a well referenced text for the current and novel areas of vaccine development; however, I suspect that the editors will soon need to commence on the next and 5th Edition.