Polymeric Nanoparticle-Based Vaccine Adjuvants and Delivery Vehicles

Abstract

As vaccine formulations have progressed from including live or attenuated strains of pathogenic components for enhanced safety, developing new adjuvants to more effectively generate adaptive immune responses has become necessary. In this context, polymeric nanoparticles have emerged as a promising platform with multiple advantages, including the dual capability of adjuvant and delivery vehicle, administration via multiple routes, induction of rapid and long-lived immunity, greater shelf-life at elevated temperatures, and enhanced patient compliance. This comprehensive review describes advances in nanoparticle-based vaccines (i.e., nanovaccines) with a particular focus on polymeric particles as adjuvants and delivery vehicles. Examples of the nanovaccine approach in respiratory infections, biodefense, and cancer are discussed.

Fig. 1

Schematic illustration of advantages provided by polymeric nanoparticle adjuvant systems for vaccination. Clockwise left to right: nanoparticle enhanced T cell activation, showing antigen cross-presentation; APC internalization of vaccine payload carried by nanoparticles versus free diffusion; nanoparticle-enabled infection mimicking inducing immune recognition and pro-inflammatory responses; immune activation by immunogenic cell death; nanoparticle-enabled B cell receptor (BCR) crosslinking; nanoparticle trafficking to lymph node; and complement activation by nanoadjuvants