Triple-action biomimetic nanoplatform: antigen delivery, lysosomal escape, and innate immune activation against lethal SFTSV
Year: 2026
Type: preprint
Abstract: Severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS) is a tick‑borne zoonosis with a case fatality rate of up to 16% and pandemic potential, yet no specific therapeutics or licensed vaccines are available. Subunit vaccines offer a safer alternative but typically suffer from poor immunogenicity as conventional adjuvants fail to coordinate effective antigen delivery with robust innate immune activation. Here, we develop a biomimetic mesoporous polydopamine (MPDA) nanoplatform that achieves high loading efficiency of the SFTS virus Gn antigen, enables lysosomal escape, and activates innate immunity. In a lethal SFTSV mouse model, MPDA-based vaccination provides 100% protection, MPDA-based vaccination provides 100% protection. Mechanistically, MPDA exhibits high antigen-loading efficiency, facilitates cytosolic delivery of Gn, enhances dendritic cell activation, and elicits substantially higher SFTSV-specific IgG and neutralizing antibody titers than the commercial aluminum hydroxide gel adjuvant (Alum). This work establishes MPDA as a multi-function delivery and adjuvant platform, offering a promising strategy for SFTSV subunit vaccine development.
Source: Research Square
Institutions: Jilin University, Wuhan Institute of Virology
Language: English
Topic: Viral Infections and Vectors
Subfield: Infectious Diseases
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7163162886