Overview of Nanovaccines and Nanoadjuvants

Immunization is still the most efficient intervention to prevent the spread of diseases. Despite the tremendous scientific advancements in vaccine development, there is no effective vaccine against cancer, AIDS, malaria, etc. Furthermore, most of the existing vaccines are suffering from the limitations of incomplete stimulation of immune system, stability at room temperature, in vivo toxicity, multiple boosters requirement, etc. Advancements in technology are helping in the development of effective vaccines for the prevention of disease; still, a lot of people remain unvaccinated throughout the world. World Health Organization (WHO) has considered mass immunization as the main objective in their immunization schedule 2030. Nanovaccines may be an essential intervention for mass immunization in low-income countries because of their stable nature and storage ability at room temperature. Nanomaterial’s high surface area to volume ratio has enhanced its immunogenicity, biocompatibility, slow release, and safety. Although vaccines are practical tools for immune response generation, some fail to generate an effective immune response alone; at that point, adjuvants come into play. Nanoadjuvants are tiny particles of the nm range, providing stability, increasing vaccine efficacy, and generating a robust immune response. They also include the types of damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs) and pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) and also include aluminum, emulsion, saponin-based adjuvants, and toll-like receptor (TLR) adjuvants, respectively. This chapter discusses the nanovaccines and nanoadjuvants types, their mode of action, and their applications in various diseases.