Nonglycosidic agonists of invariant NKT cells for use as vaccine adjuvants.
Reddy BG., Silk JD., Salio M., Balamurugan R., Shepherd D., Ritter G., Cerundolo V., Schmidt RR.
Based on the crystal structures of human alpha-GalCer-CD1d and iNKT-alpha-GalCer-CD1d complexes, nonglycosidic analogues of alpha-GalCer were synthesized. They activate iNKT cells resulting in dendritic cell maturation and the priming of antigen-specific T and B cells. Therefore, they are attractive adjuvants in vaccination strategies for cancer and infectious diseases.