Engineering Polymer Hydrogel Nanoparticles for Lymph Node‐Targeted Delivery |
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| Authors: | Dr. Stefaan De Koker Dr. Jiwei Cui Nane Vanparijs Dr. Lorenzo Albertazzi Prof. Johan Grooten Prof. Frank Caruso Prof. Bruno G. De Geest |
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| Affiliation: | 1. Department of Pharmaceutics, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium;2. Department of Biomedical Molecular Biology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium;3. ARC Centre of Excellence in Convergent Bio-Nano Science and Technology, Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia;4. Institute for Complex Molecular Systems and Laboratory of Chemical Biology, Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven, The Netherlands;5. Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC), Barcelona, Spain |
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| Abstract: | The induction of antigen‐specific adaptive immunity exclusively occurs in lymphoid organs. As a consequence, the efficacy by which vaccines reach these tissues strongly affects the efficacy of the vaccine. Here, we report the design of polymer hydrogel nanoparticles that efficiently target multiple immune cell subsets in the draining lymph nodes. Nanoparticles are fabricated by infiltrating mesoporous silica particles (ca. 200 nm) with poly(methacrylic acid) followed by disulfide‐based crosslinking and template removal. PEGylation of these nanoparticles does not affect their cellular association in vitro, but dramatically improves their lymphatic drainage in vivo. The functional relevance of these observations is further illustrated by the increased priming of antigen‐specific T cells. Our findings highlight the potential of engineered hydrogel nanoparticles for the lymphatic delivery of antigens and immune‐modulating compounds. |
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| Keywords: | dendritic cells disulfides hydrogels nanoparticles vaccines |
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