Various polysaccharides such as chitosan and β-glucan possess immunological properties that are advantageous for vaccine adjuvants. Therefore, in the presented study, chitosan and carboxymethyl-β-glucan were combined as nanoparticles, coupled to the model antigen ovalbumin as vaccine adjuvant and investigated in vivo in a mouse model.

The global corona pandemic requires effective vaccines to achieve herd immunity. In the study presented here, an inhalable chitosan-based nanovaccine containing the viral spike protein (S) was developed to specifically induce immunity at the mucosal sites of the respiratory tract.