Potential of nanoparticles for allergen-specific immunotherapy – use of silica nanoparticles as vaccination platform

ABSTRACT

Introduction: Allergen-specific immunotherapy is the only curative approach for the treatment of allergies. There is an urgent need for improved therapies, which increase both, efficacy and patient compliance. Novel routes of immunization and the use of more advanced vaccine platforms have gained heightened interest in this field.

Areas covered: The current status of allergen-specific immunotherapy is summarized and novel routes of immunization and their challenges in the clinics are critically discussed. The use of nanoparticles as novel delivery system for allergy vaccines is comprehensively reviewed. Specifically, the advantages of silica nanoparticles as vaccine carriers and adjuvants are summarized.

Expert opinion: Future allergen-specific immunotherapy will combine engineered hypoallergenic vaccines with novel routes of administration, such as the skin. Due to their biodegradability, and the easiness to introduce surface modifications, silica nanoparticles are promising candidates for tailor-made vaccines. By covalently linking allergens and polysaccharides to silica nanoparticles, a versatile vaccination platform can be designed to specifically target antigen-presenting cells, render the formulation hypoallergenic, and introduce immunomodulatory functions. Combining potent skin vaccination methods, such as fractional laser ablation, with nanoparticle-based vaccines addresses all the requirements for safe and efficient therapy of allergic diseases.

KEYWORDS:

• Allergy
• immunotherapy
• nanoparticles
• silica
• skin vaccination

Article highlights

• Next generation vaccines for allergen-specific immunotherapy have to combine hypoallergenic vaccine formulations with antigen targeting and novel delivery routes, such as the skin.

• Linking allergens to polysaccharides renders them hypoallergenic, specifically targets antigen presenting cells, and has immunomodulatory properties.

• Nanoparticles can serve as a defined ‘core particle’ to which allergens and immunomodulatory compounds such as polysaccharides can be covalently linked, resulting in more defined vaccine formulations compared to conventional conjugation approaches.

• Silica nanoparticles present an attractive platform for next generation allergy vaccines due to their physicochemical characteristics, biodegradability, and adjuvant properties.

This box summarizes key points contained in the article.

Declaration of interest

Y Machado is funded by FWF project #W 1213, J Thalhamer is a grant holder FWF project #W 1213. The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Austrian Science Fund [W 1213].