adjuvants
"One adjuvant might work well in a vaccine against influenza, but cause an immune over-reaction in a different vaccine. This is because adjuvants are like spices, explains Ken Ishii, director of the Center for Vaccine and Adjuvant Research. "Every spice has a different taste, but you can't compare which is the best or worst - for each disease, you need a different adjuvant."
"Adjuvants are like superchargers for vaccines. They are mild contaminants that cause the body to respond with a more intense immune response. When paired with antigens, the adjuvant liquid can make the vaccine's impact stronger. This allows for more doses to be produced from less antigen.
The word itself comes from the Latin "adjuvare" which means to help or aid. But adjuvants, like so many scientific discoveries, were stumbled upon almost by accident."
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