Recent Advances in Nanovaccines Using Biomimetic Immunomodulatory Materials

Vijayan, Veena; Mohapatra, Adityanarayan; Uthaman, Saji; Park, In-Kyu

Biomimetic nanovaccines are ideal vaccine candidates, as they have unique physicochemical parameters, such as size, shape, and biomimicking property. This feature makes them a versatile delivery system for the delivery of antigens and adjuvants. The main advantage of nanovaccines is their ability to incorporate both antigens and adjuvants within a single particle to produce maximum stimulation. The biomimicking property of these nanovaccines reduces interactions with RES cells, provides longer circulations, and prevents the burst release of adjuvants from its nano-formulation. The synthesis methods and the choice of material used for NP formulations make the nanovaccine flexible, so that it can incorporate different molecules, such as proteins, polysaccharides, lipids, polymers, and nucleic acids. The NP localization can be enhanced by modifying the NP surface with ligands that have specificity to immune cell receptors [95] . Moreover, antigens and adjuvants can be loaded into NPs either individually or for a combinatorial approach, and protect its molecule integrity from different enzymes, such as nucleases and phosphatases [96] . Besides these advantages, NP formulation also prevents adjuvants from degradation, protects the body from potential systemic toxicity caused by the premature release of adjuvants, and enhances immune response through extended cargo release [19] .