Biodegradable polymers for modern vaccine development

Abstract

Most traditional vaccines are composed either of a whole pathogen or its parts; these vaccines, however, are not always effective and can even be harmful, As such, additional agents known as adjuvants are necessary to increase vaccine safety and efficacy. This review summarizes the potential of biodegradable materials, including synthetic and natural polymers, for vaccine delivery. These materials are highly biocompatible and have minimal toxicity, and most biomaterial-based vaccines delivering antigens or adjuvants have been shown to improve immune response, compared to formulations consisting of the antigen alone. Therefore, these materials can be applied in modern vaccine development. (C) 2019 Published by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of The Korean Society of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry.