When the word hero is mentioned, people usually envision a mighty warrior vanquishing an enemy or a firefighter rescuing children from a burning building. Though these examples of courage and ability certainly qualify as heroes, so do some scientists...

Nowhere is the effort to use science and technology for human benefit clearer than in the development of vaccines against serious infectious diseases. Although vaccinations seldom have unintended consequences they can, on occasion, pose complex ethical...

A vaccine is a medical preparation given to provide immunity from a disease. Vaccines use a variety of different substances ranging from dead microorganisms to genetically engineered antigens to defend the body against potentially harmful...

suspension of weakened, killed, or fragmented microorganisms or toxins or of antibodies or lymphocytes that is administered primarily to prevent disease. A vaccine can confer active immunity against a specific harmful agent by stimulating the immune...

Preparation containing either killed or weakened live microorganisms or their toxins, introduced by mouth, by injection, or by nasal spray to stimulate production of antibodies against an infectious agent. This confers immunity to that agent, since the...

A novel treatment for ADDICTION to COCAINE that involves the production of ANTIBODY to this drug. When administered to individuals, the antibody binds to cocaine circulating in the BLOOD, rendering it functionally useless. It inhibits SELF...

A process used in the food industry in which air is removed from a food container and sealed to prevent its re-entry. The object of the technique is to remove any respirable atmosphere that would sustain microbial...

A substance containing dead or attenuated pathogenic organisms or toxins artificially introduced into the body with the aim of conferring increased resistance or...

A vaccine is an antigenic preparation used to establish immunity to a disease. The term derives from Edward Jenner's use of cowpox ("vacca" means cow in Latin), which, when administered to humans, provided them protection against smallpox, the work...