(Virus-Like) Particles as Platforms for Vaccine Delivery and Modulation of Immune Cell Function

A special issue of Vaccines (ISSN 2076-393X). This special issue belongs to the section "Attenuated/Inactivated/Live and Vectored Vaccines".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 May 2025 | Viewed by 1418

Special Issue Editor


E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute of Immunology, Center for Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology, Medical University of Vienna, Lazarettgasse 19, 1090 Vienna, Austria
Interests: immunology; T cells

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Our immune system preferentially discriminates between self and non-self antigens, thus contributing to long-term homeostasis. However, not all antigens are the same! Their antigenicity can vary greatly depending on how they enter our body and thus come into contact with our immune system for the first time. Some antigens are introduced in a (water-)soluble form into our body. In contrast, other antigens are part of a smaller or larger particulate context, such as virus particles, bacteria, or even larger microorganisms, while some are associated with fragments of the latter. Previous research has shown that the context in which an antigen becomes introduced into our body can determine the resulting immune response to it. Researchers can now use this knowledge to steer immune responses in different directions. On the one hand, it may be interesting to induce potent effector and memory functions (e.g., against pathogens or tumor cells). In contrast, on the other hand, immune responses may be directed towards regulatory responses (e.g., against autoantigens or allergens). Since the (virus-like) particles themselves can be varied not only in size and physicochemical composition but also in the way they express nominal antigens and transport them to the host organisms, they are ideally suited for the delivery of vaccine antigens and as platforms for triggering immunoregulatory responses.

We encourage all scientists interested in research based on (virus-like) particles and immunomodulation to submit their manuscripts for this Special Issue of Vaccines and guarantee expert and timely peer review.

Dr. Winfried F. Pickl
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Vaccines is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • (virus-like) particles
  • vaccine delivery
  • immune cell

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

  • Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • e-Book format: Special Issues with more than 10 articles can be published as dedicated e-books, ensuring wide and rapid dissemination.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue polices can be found here.

Published Papers (1 paper)

Order results
Result details
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

23 pages, 2223 KiB  
Article
Macropinocytosis Is the Principal Uptake Mechanism of Antigen-Presenting Cells for Allergen-Specific Virus-like Nanoparticles
by Armin Kraus, Bernhard Kratzer, Al Nasar Ahmed Sehgal, Doris Trapin, Matarr Khan, Nicole Boucheron and Winfried F. Pickl
Vaccines 2024, 12(7), 797; https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines12070797 - 18 Jul 2024
Viewed by 1172
Abstract
Virus-like nanoparticles (VNP) are regarded as efficient vaccination platforms and have proven to be useful for the non-anaphylactogenic delivery of allergen-specific immunotherapy in preclinical models previously. Herein, we sought to determine the mode of VNP uptake by antigen presenting cells (APC). Accordingly, we [...] Read more.
Virus-like nanoparticles (VNP) are regarded as efficient vaccination platforms and have proven to be useful for the non-anaphylactogenic delivery of allergen-specific immunotherapy in preclinical models previously. Herein, we sought to determine the mode of VNP uptake by antigen presenting cells (APC). Accordingly, we screened a collection of substances known to inhibit different uptake pathways by APC. The human leukemia monocytic cell line THP-1 and the murine dendritic cell line DC 2.4 were examined for the uptake of fluorescently labelled VNP in the presence or absence of inhibitors. The inhibitory effect of candidate substances that blocked VNP uptake in APC lines was subsequently evaluated in studies with primary APC present in splenocyte and lung cell homogenates in vitro and upon intratracheal application of VNP in vivo. The uptake of allergen-specific VNP in vitro and in vivo was mainly observed by macrophages and CD103+ dendritic cells and was sensitive to inhibitors that block macropinocytosis, such as hyperosmolarity induced by sucrose or the polyphenol compound Rottlerin at low micromolar concentrations but not by other inhibitors. Also, T-cell proliferation induced by allergen-specific VNP was significantly reduced by both substances. In contrast, substances that stimulate macropinocytosis, such as Heparin and phorbol myristate acetate (PMA), increased VNP-uptake and may, thus, help modulate allergen-specific T-cell responses. We have identified macropinocytosis as the principal uptake mechanism of APC for allergen-specific VNP in vitro and in vivo, paving the way for further improvement of VNP-based therapies, especially those that can be used for tolerance induction in allergy, in the future. Full article
Show Figures

Figure 1

Back to TopTop