Endosomal Vaccine Delivery Through the Nastic Model

Vaccine enters white blood cells through the process of endocytosis. In this process the cell extends and engulfs the surroundings, including a vaccine when present, for intake; the vaccine is then enclosed in an inclusion known as an endosome. With the foreign species (vaccine) encased, this endosome is then transported to the interior of the cell. While the endosome provides a convenient mode of transport for uptake, it also acts to destroy and break down its contents via a pH driven process before releasing it into the cell. It has been postulated that inducing endosome burst may be an effective way to affect the release of vaccine prior to the onset of degradation. The process of burst will be explored through adaptation of an existing active material (nastic) modeling methodology. The computational methodology employs coupling of transport kinetics to membrane elastic response. The study yields insight into the multi-mechanisms of burst, involved both in the specific case of vaccine delivery and applicable to the more general case of bio inspired materials development.