Challenges and opportunities in nasal subunt vaccine delivery : mechanistic studies using ovalbumin as a model antigen

Abstract

Nasal vaccination has the potential to provide protection combined with more patient comfort and a higher safety profile than classical injectable vaccines. However, the nasal physiology and immunological aspects of the nasal epithelium hamper the efficacy of nasally administered vaccines. The aim of this thesis is therefore three-fold: __ to identify the principal hurdles to successful nasal vaccine delivery; __ to develop preclinical model systems to investigate these hurdles; __ to apply these principles to rationally design nasal subunit vaccine formulations in a preclinical setting.