The use of vaccine antigen characterization, for example by MATS, to guide the introduction of meningococcus B vaccines

► New vaccines against serogroup B meningococcal disease are developed on the basis of variable protein antigens. ► Assessment of strain coverage requires genetic and phenotypical typing. ► Although the serum bactericidal assay is the golden standard to assess the susceptibility of a strain towards bactericidal antibodies, more convenient antigen expression assays are required for high throughput analysis. ► The MATS (meningococcal antigen typing system) is an example for assays assessing potential strain coverage to be used by national reference laboratories. ► The availability of MATS should be assured even after licensure; laboratory twinning is a strategy to generate a robust and reliable international database.