Many viruses and bacteria infect humans through mucosal surfaces, such as those in the respiratory, gastrointestinal, and reproductive tracts. To help fight these pathogens, scientists are working on vaccines that can establish a front line of defense at mucosal surfaces. Only a few mucosal vaccines are in use and development of new mucosal vaccines could help protect against influenza, other respiratory viruses, HIV, herpes simplex virus, human papilloma virus, and possibly even cancer vaccines.
Vaccines delivered to the lungs via aerosol spray are often cleared away the before they can induce an adaptive immune response. MIT engineers have developed a new type of nanoparticle that protects a vaccine long enough to generate a strong adaptive immune response in the lungs and also in mucosal surfaces far from the vaccination site, such as the gastrointestinal and reproductive tracts. The protein fragments that make up the vaccine are encased in a sphere made of several layers of lipids that are chemically linked to each other, making the particles more durable inside the body. This allows the particles to resist disintegration once they reach the lungs. With this sturdier packaging, the protein vaccine remains in the lungs long enough for immune cells lining the surface of the lungs to phagocytize them and deliver them to helper T cells. Activating helper T cells is a critical step for the adaptive immune system to form an immunological memory.
Read the full MIT News article HERE.
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