Polymeric particle-based antigen delivery system: From immunological engineering to clinical translation

Recombinant subunit vaccines and nucleic acid vaccines have attracted considerable research interest due to their superior safety and scalability for industrial production. However, these platforms often require advanced delivery strategies to elicit robust immune responses. Polymeric particles, with their unique ability to maintain antigen stability, enhance immunogenicity, and enable controlled release along with inherent biocompatibility and biodegradability, have emerged as a versatile platform for vaccine delivery and adjuvant applications. This review outlines the key physicochemical properties, immunological mechanisms, and release kinetics of polymer-based carriers, and critically evaluates recent progress in polymer vaccine formulations designed for the co-delivery of antigens and immunostimulatory agents. Future development will likely focus on integrating computational material design with immune profiling to create intelligent systems capable of mimicking pathogenic invasion and enabling single-dose, cold-chain-independent vaccination. Collectively, these insights provide a foundation for engineering next-generation polymer-particle vaccines.