Vaccine adjuvant activity of 3M-052: an imidazoquinoline designed for local activity without systemic cytokine induction.

The human Toll-like receptors (TLRs) are a family of receptors, which sense the presence of various structural elements of pathogens and damaged or effete components in the host. As they do so, they activate two critical arms of host defense, the rapid innate immune response and an adaptive immune response. The innate immune response is typified by the generation of Th1 cytokines, chemokines and type 1 interferons.