Immunofunctions of Protein and Carbohydrate Assemblies Modulated by Structures Acrossing Scales as Biomaterials

Abstract The precise and complex immune activation of biomaterials has been the focus of intensive development and research in the fields of immunotherapy and vaccines. The structural diversity and programmability of biomacromolecules allow them to form highly effective platforms for activating immune responses and modulating multiple processes of immunogenicity. Therefore, many excellent approaches have been developed, leading to a variety of quite practical outcomes. This perspective highlights recent advances in using proteins and carbohydrates, important components involved in immune responses, as building blocks to create artificial biomaterials for immune activation. It summarizes how the structural properties of these biomaterials, ranging from molecular structures to mesoscopic structures, impact their uptake by immune cells and subsequent immune responses. Specifically, the effects of size, shape, and surface structures on inflammatory activation and T cell activation are discussed, followed by insights into their design for immunological applications.