Separation and quantification of a novel two-component vaccine adjuvant

Two reversed-phase HPLC methods were developed for the quantitative determination of the two components of the novel vaccine adjuvant IC31. The adjuvant consists of a mixture of a synthetic oligodeoxynucleotide (ODN) and an 11-mer cationic peptide. The negatively charged oligodeoxynucleotide and the positively charged peptide form a complex that has to be quantitatively dissociated for analysis. Dissociation of the complex was achieved with a basic heparin solution (1000 IU/ml) when analyzing the ODN, whereas 30% acetic acid was used for the determination of the peptide. Both methods are suitable for identification and quantification but also for stability indicating investigations. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.