Qom University of Medical Sciences Journal

Background and Objectives: After live attenuated and subunit vaccines, DNA vaccines were introduced as a third generation vaccine in the field of vaccinology. This type of vaccine is a promising approach to deal with infectious agents in the future. Although, many aspects of this type of vaccine has not yet been identified, its use has been initiated in humans and clinical trials, and several DNA vaccines have been developed against veterinary infectious diseases. This generation of vaccine has provided new approaches to deal with and control existing diseases. In addition to infectious diseases, this type of vaccine can also be used against different types of tumors. Despite numerous attempts, only one type of DNA vaccine has been approved for use in human. The present study focuses on biology, advantages, and disadvantages of DNA vaccine and investigates its capacity in stimulating different types of immune responses.