Improving Vaccine and Immunotherapy Design Using Biomaterials

Biomaterials have intrinsic immunogenic features (size, shape, and chemistry) that can be harnessed to create carriers that actively direct responses to vaccines and immunotherapies, or to modify immune cell function in vivo. Biomaterials can provide control over the combinations and relative concentrations of ligands to simultaneously target multiple immune populations and pathways, or to target these signals to specific cells, organelles, or tissues. In addition to immunogenic properties, biomaterials can support decreased systemic effects and pain, improved cargo stability, and enable self-administration in developing geographic regions. Increased collaboration between material scientists and immunologists may enable the fast integration of emerging understanding in both fields. Polymers, lipids, scaffolds, microneedles, and other biomaterials are rapidly emerging as technologies to improve the efficacy of vaccines against infectious disease and immunotherapies for cancer, autoimmunity, and transplantation. New studies are also providing insight into the interactions between these materials and the immune system. This insight can be exploited for more efficient design of vaccines and immunotherapies. Here, we describe recent advances made possible through the unique features of biomaterials, as well as the important questions for further study. Polymers, lipids, scaffolds, microneedles, and other biomaterials are rapidly emerging as technologies to improve the efficacy of vaccines against infectious disease and immunotherapies for cancer, autoimmunity, and transplantation. New studies are also providing insight into the interactions between these materials and the immune system. This insight can be exploited for more efficient design of vaccines and immunotherapies. Here, we describe recent advances made possible through the unique features of biomaterials, as well as the important questions for further study.