PCPanCel · Modulating the physicochemical properties of polymer-based nanovaccines to communicate with immune cells

Understanding the relationship between the structure of drug formulations and their function is of utmost importance for the prediction of treatment outcome. This has become highly apparent from the recent development of lipid nanoparticle-based vaccines to prevent COVID infections. It has also become clear that many questions remain which require a robust approach to this exciting field of nanomedicine. This project aims at precisely modulating supramolecular nanovaccines, systematically investigating their interaction with immune cells, and finally establishing the relationship between the physicochemical properties and the immune response pathways. The supramolecular nanovaccines will exploit block copolymer vesicles (polymersomes) as scaffolds which will be decorated with immune active (antigenic and adjuvant) oligopeptides on their surface. Such minimized supramolecular vaccine design enables flexibility with regard to physicochemical properties in terms of size, shape and surface character. The interaction of this library of nanovaccines with immune cells will provide a deeper insight in how different immune responses can be provoked. By precisely controlling the physicochemical properties of the nanovaccines, the project will explain cascade signalling pathways on both the cellular- and molecular level, with as final target to aid in vaccine design for especially tumor immunotherapy.