Controlled release microneedle technologies for the enhanced immunogenicity of subunit vaccines

Thesis: Ph. D., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Chemical Engineering, 2017.

Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Zmolek, Andrew Charles
Other Authors: Paula T. Hammond and Darrell J. Irvine.
Format: Thesis
Language:eng
Published: Massachusetts Institute of Technology 2018
Subjects:
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/115019
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author Zmolek, Andrew Charles
author2 Paula T. Hammond and Darrell J. Irvine.
author_facet Paula T. Hammond and Darrell J. Irvine.
Zmolek, Andrew Charles
author_sort Zmolek, Andrew Charles
collection MIT
description Thesis: Ph. D., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Chemical Engineering, 2017.
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spelling mit-1721.1/1150192022-01-13T07:53:57Z Controlled release microneedle technologies for the enhanced immunogenicity of subunit vaccines Zmolek, Andrew Charles Paula T. Hammond and Darrell J. Irvine. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Chemical Engineering. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Chemical Engineering Chemical Engineering. Thesis: Ph. D., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Chemical Engineering, 2017. Cataloged from PDF version of thesis. Includes bibliographical references (pages 105-113). The poor efficacy of subunit protein vaccines, which typically consist of a protein antigen and a molecular adjuvant, has recently been improved by completing multiple injections of the vaccine with an exponential dosing profile over time. The hypothesis is that as viruses replicate in a host organism, they shed exponentially increasing quantities of pathogen associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) and viral protein, and replicating this pattern during vaccination allows scientists to better mimic the immune response elicited by an actual infection. Instead of completing multiple injections, a promising alternative is to complete a one-time application of a microneedle device to the skin that controllably releases the vaccine to mimic this exponential pattern to manipulate the immune system into providing strong humoral and cellular mediated protection. A number of different novel microneedle constructs have been created in this thesis towards this end. Membrane microneedles consist of tips with a polymeric core that contains vaccine that's encapsulated within a crosslinked layer-by-layer film. The three component film acts as a tunable diffusional barrier to vaccine release. Poly([gamma]-propargyl 1-glutamate) (PPLG) polymer grafted with maleimides was used to make microneedles that function based on the same concept except that the tip's surfaces are chemically crosslinked with poly(ethylene glycol) dithiol to enable controlled release. Importantly, degradable ester bonds are incorporated into the network to allow for tunability. Finally, poly(vinyl alcohol) microneedles were vapor-phase crosslinked to form reversible acetal bonds, and these constructs were also characterized and shown to allow for controlled release. Several other constructs were also generated. The work presented herein involves the microneedle design, fabrication, and characterization of these constructs with various experimental set-ups and techniques. by Andrew Charles Zmolek. Ph. D. 2018-04-27T18:10:17Z 2018-04-27T18:10:17Z 2017 2017 Thesis http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/115019 1030147775 eng MIT theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed, downloaded, or printed from this source but further reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission. http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582 113 pages application/pdf Massachusetts Institute of Technology
spellingShingle Chemical Engineering.
Zmolek, Andrew Charles
Controlled release microneedle technologies for the enhanced immunogenicity of subunit vaccines
title Controlled release microneedle technologies for the enhanced immunogenicity of subunit vaccines
title_full Controlled release microneedle technologies for the enhanced immunogenicity of subunit vaccines
title_fullStr Controlled release microneedle technologies for the enhanced immunogenicity of subunit vaccines
title_full_unstemmed Controlled release microneedle technologies for the enhanced immunogenicity of subunit vaccines
title_short Controlled release microneedle technologies for the enhanced immunogenicity of subunit vaccines
title_sort controlled release microneedle technologies for the enhanced immunogenicity of subunit vaccines
topic Chemical Engineering.
url http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/115019
work_keys_str_mv AT zmolekandrewcharles controlledreleasemicroneedletechnologiesfortheenhancedimmunogenicityofsubunitvaccines