Rana Md Mohosin, Demirkaya Cigdem, De la Hoz Siegler Hector
Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z3, Canada.
Centre for Blood Research (CBR), Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z3, Canada.
Gels. 2024 Dec 26;11(1):7. doi: 10.3390/gels11010007.
Vaccines are critical for combating infectious diseases, saving millions of lives worldwide each year. Effective immunization requires precise vaccine delivery to ensure proper antigen transport and robust immune activation. Traditional vaccine delivery systems, however, face significant challenges, including low immunogenicity and undesirable inflammatory reactions, limiting their efficiency. Encapsulating or binding vaccines within biomaterials has emerged as a promising strategy to overcome these limitations. Among biomaterials, hydrogels have gained considerable attention for their biocompatibility, ability to interact with biological systems, and potential to modulate immune responses. Hydrogels offer a materials science-driven approach for targeted vaccine delivery, addressing the shortcomings of conventional methods while enhancing vaccine efficacy. This review examines the potential of hydrogel-based systems to improve immunogenicity and explores their dual role as immunomodulatory adjuvants. Innovative delivery methods, such as microneedles, patches, and inhalable systems, are discussed as minimally invasive alternatives to traditional administration routes. Additionally, this review addresses critical challenges, including safety, scalability, and regulatory considerations, offering insights into hydrogel-guided strategies for eliciting targeted immune responses and advancing global immunization efforts.
疫苗对于抗击传染病至关重要，每年在全球拯救数百万人的生命。有效的免疫接种需要精确的疫苗递送，以确保适当的抗原运输和强大的免疫激活。然而，传统的疫苗递送系统面临重大挑战，包括低免疫原性和不良炎症反应，限制了它们的效率。将疫苗封装或结合在生物材料中已成为克服这些限制的一种有前景的策略。在生物材料中，水凝胶因其生物相容性、与生物系统相互作用的能力以及调节免疫反应的潜力而受到了广泛关注。水凝胶为靶向疫苗递送提供了一种材料科学驱动的方法，解决了传统方法的缺点，同时提高了疫苗效力。本综述研究了基于水凝胶的系统改善免疫原性的潜力，并探讨了它们作为免疫调节佐剂的双重作用。讨论了创新的递送方法，如微针、贴片和可吸入系统，作为传统给药途径的微创替代方案。此外，本综述还讨论了关键挑战，包括安全性、可扩展性和监管考虑因素，为引发靶向免疫反应和推进全球免疫接种努力的水凝胶引导策略提供见解。
