Paving the way for pulmonary influenza vaccines: Exploring formulations, models and site of deposition

Vaccination against influenza is considered to be the cornerstone in the prevention and control of influenza outbreaks. However, except for Flumist®, influenza vaccines are currently administered by injection, which induces sub-optimal immune responses. In this respect, an inhalable influenza vaccine could be advantageous as the respiratory tract has abundant immune cells and is the portal of influenza virus entry [3,4]. Despite that, several issues related to administration of influenza vaccines via the respiratory tract are still unaddressed and need further investigation. In this thesis, we explored two different approaches to enhance immunogenicity of influenza vaccine candidates upon administration via the respiratory tract. In the first approach, the site of deposition in the respiratory tract that elicits optimal immune responses was investigated. The second approach deals with the adjuvantation of influenza vaccine candidate; whether or not adjuvantation has the potential to augment immune responses which ultimately leads to enhanced protective efficacy