Project Summary

Current vaccines can prevent many infectious diseases but are ineffective against cancers and diseases such as malaria and HIV. This project will use a novel nanoparticle vaccine delivery platform to regulate the function of dendritic cells (DCs), a key player for immune responses. Antigens and adjuvants that boost the immune response (such as CpG, polyI:C, LPS) and siRNAs will be assembled onto layered double hydroxide (LDH) nanoparticles and their effects on DC-mediated T cell activation will be investigated. This project will help develop more efficient adjuvant combinations to enhance immune responses, enabling the design of new generation vaccines.