ABSTRACT
The polymeric controlled-delivery vaccination systems were developed with the concept of using a polymer purely as a matrix to achieve a desired release profile, with no direct effect of the polymer on the immune system desired. Research into this emerging field has concentrated on a variety of strategies for producing adjuvant-active polymeric microparticles. The characteristics of the bioerodible microparticle-delivery systems make them promising candidates for use as efficacious vaccines, as well as excellent tools for probing the effects of antigen-release patterns and vaccine formulation parameters on the immune response. Although the ultimate goal of this research is to produce a viable vaccine, the results also provide further insight into the complex mechanisms of adjuvanticity. The development of adjuvant-active microparticulate vaccine-delivery systems seeks to combine the versatility in release profiles obtained with microparticulate-release systems with the additional adjuvant effect sometimes necessary for an effective immune response.
