Nanotoxoids: Biomimetic Nanoparticle Vaccines against Infections

Abstract Nanoparticles have been widely explored for vaccine applications based on their ability to elicit potent immune responses. Their advantages include protection of antigen payloads, improved in vivo distribution, enhanced cellular uptake, and codelivery with immunostimulatory adjuvants, among others. Of the various nanoparticulate platform technologies, cell membrane‐coated nanoparticles are an emerging class of nanocarrier that have been utilized for a wide range of biomedical applications. Here, the development and application of nanotoxoids as vaccines against infection are reviewed. Prepared by the complexation of toxins with cell membrane‐coated nanoparticles, nanotoxoids are able to safely deliver virulent proteins in their native conformation, thus generating strong and high avidity immune responses. The synthesis of nanotoxoids leverages the natural affinities of virulence factors with cell membranes, enabling for the rapid development of multiantigenic formulations from unknown mixtures of toxins. Considering their many advantages over conventional toxoids, it is envisioned that continued research on nanotoxoids will lead to new and more effective vaccine formulations against high priority infectious diseases.