Adjuvant Properties and Biodistribution of Surface Textured Silica Nanoparticles

Adjuvants are substances which generate potent and long lasting immune responses and are an essential component of modern vaccines. The thesis examined the effects of nanoparticle surface texture on their adjuvant capacity and biodistribution. Surface texture was found to influence the adjuvant capacity of nanoparticles via the activation of dendritic cells as key cellular targets which initiate and regulate immunity. The synthesised nanoparticles were biocompatible and could target the lymphatics whose function is to help fight infection. The findings are of interest to engineers and immunologists for the development of new vaccines to treat diseases.