Absract Archive   March - 06 Use of Proteomics in Microbial Pathogenesis Abstract Proteomics has become the key area of research in Biomedicine and Microbiology which uses meticulous and sophisticated techniques including two dimensional gel electrophoresis, mass spectrometry and Bio-informatics database. Its application provides greater opportunities to clarify the actions of various pathogenic agents. Host and pathogen co-evolve through continuous contest for survival. In this battle, pathogen tries to ensure it’s persistence in the host and the host tries to protect itself from the pathogens harmful and often detrimental influences. For this purpose, host uses its immune system. But the end of this story is prefixed i.e., Host wins and pathogen has to surrender itself. The war is not without weapons. So both the host and pathogen use their strategies to prevail over each other. Proteins play a crucial role in this game. There is an array of immunoproteins like antibodies, receptors, and immunomodulators in the host and a set of microbial proteins for causing the pathogenesis. There are several strategies which are considered to suppress the pathogenic microbes. Genomics and proteomics have opened new vistas in research and development related to health and disease (Box 1) This article is focused on proteomics tools which are applied to study the microbial pathogenesis and vaccine development. Authors: Atul Kumar Johri, Meenakshi Dua, Puja Kumari Sharma, Abhinay Sharma, Ruchi Saraya, Arpana, Hemlata Vaccines : Panacea for problems and Worries It was but eight generations ago in the year 1798 that the British Physician Edward Jenner developed the first vaccine. Intrigued by why some milkmaids contracted and suffered from the dangerous disease smallpox while other milkmaids remained perfectly healthy, he invented the idea of injecting a small amount of the fluid containing what we now know as the compox virus into people to immunize them from smallpx. Since the material came from cows, he termed the procedure of vaccination (vaccinology was born. It developed rapidly in the mineteenth century, particularly with the efforts of Louis Pasteur, the Father of Microbiology and later of /Robert Koch. During 1960’s and 1970’s a method to accurately fine tune vaccine was developed by Cesar Milstein and Georges Kohler. This method, called the production of monoclonal antibodies, allows us to pinpoint and selectively target a particular type of virus or a molecule. This specificity is important since a virus found in Europe is not necessarily identical to the one found in India. Authors:S. Murugan K.R. Mani