New Nanoparticle Makes Vaccines More Powerful

According to an article published by MIT News, a new study shows metal-organic particles can both deliver vaccines and act as an adjuvant to generate a strong immune response at a lower dose.

Anne Trafton wrote on March 6, 2024, that many vaccines, including vaccines for hepatitis B and whooping cough, consist of fragments of viral or bacterial proteins.

These vaccines often include other molecules called adjuvants, which help to boost the immune system’s response to the protein.

Most of these adjuvants consist of aluminum salts or other molecules that provoke a nonspecific immune response.

A team of MIT researchers has now shown that a type of nanoparticle called a metal-organic framework can also provoke a strong immune response by activating the innate immune system — the body’s first line of defense against any pathogen — through cell proteins called toll-like receptors.

The unedited article is posted at the MIT News link.