Hollow Microcapsules with pH-Responsive Macropores

Carlo Montemagno of the University of Cincinnati in the U.S. proposes to develop hollow microcapsules with pores that only form at neutral pH, allowing vaccines in the capsules to be released only after bypassing the acidic stomach environment and arriving at the mucosal tissues of the lower gastrointestinal tract. This new oral vaccine delivery system could allow highly immunogenic vaccines to be administered with increased efficacy and allow for vaccine dose-sparing.