Scientists at the University of Calgary are heralding what they say could be a breakthrough for vaccine research.

The faculty of medicine researchers have unlocked the mystery of how a common immune booster — known as an adjuvant — actually works, they said in a release Monday.

The adjuvant alum — a common chemical compound that's also used in pickling — is added to almost every vaccine on the market.

The reason for its effectiveness at inducing antibody responses has not been well understood. But in the March 13 edition of Nature Medicine, the University of Calgary scientists say they have now discovered how it operates.

The findings will help scientists produce better vaccines and could lead to the creation of new vaccines, said Tracy Flach, the study's lead author.

"Understanding alum properties will help other vaccines because we are one step deeper into the mechanistic insight of adjuvants, which are essential for human vaccines to work," added the faculty of medicine's Yan Shi, who is also a member of the Snyder Institute of Infection, Immunity and Inflammation.

The research revealed that alum interacts with a group of immune cells — known as dendritic cells — through their cell membrane lipids, the researchers said.

That interaction with the alum spurs the dendritic cells to activate a group of T-cells that control antibody production.

The breakthrough came as the team made use of a new technology developed in the faculty of medicine called single-cell force spectroscopy. This technique allowed the team to study individual cells and measure their responses to alum, the researchers said.

"Knowledge provided in this study may help us manipulate alum with additional adjuvant components to direct an attack against major diseases which require a killer T-cell response such as HIV, Tuberculosis, and malaria," said Flach.