An overview on the role of silica-based materials in vaccine development

Introduction: Although vaccination has prevented millions of deaths, the development of highly immunogenic subunit vaccines is still required. Since the number of adjuvants approved for human use is limited, the new paths for the development of delivery vehicles offered by nanotechnology are of key relevance.Areas covered: Herein, the potential of silica nanoparticles (SP) as both adjuvants and vaccine delivery vehicles is discussed based on the analysis of the current biomedical literature.Expert commentary: SP are reported not only as biodegradable and biocompatible material but also as easy to modify and with a low production cost. Additionally, several reports suggest that SP enhance the immune response. Therefore, SP are a promising delivery vehicle and/or adjuvant in vaccines. However, knowledge on the industrial production and specific aspects of immunity are still required.