In the development of subunit vaccines with purified or recombinant antigens for cancer and infectious diseases, the design of improved and safe adjuvants able to efficiently target the antigen presenting cells, such as dendritic cells, represents a crucial challenge. Nanoparticle-based antigen delivery systems have been identified as an innovative strategy to improve the efficacy of subunit vaccines. Among them, self-assembled micellar nanoparticles from amphiphilic (macro)molecules have recently emerged as promising candidates. In this short review, we report on the recent research findings highlighting the versatility and potential of such systems in vaccine delivery.

Injectable hydrogels have received high attention over the last decades in drug delivery and tissue engineering as they allow minimal invasive procedures. Among them, thermoresponsive-polymer-based hydrogels are considered of high interest owing to their simple, mild, and reproducible preparation conditions, relying only on self-reorganization upon heating. Recent advances in controlled/living polymerization techniques and chemical conjugation now offer tremendous opportunities for achieving precise engineering and control over such hydrogel properties. In this perspective, we aim at highlighting their recent inputs in the design of thermoresponsive architectures and how they can address key prerequisites of gelation behavior, degradation, biofunctionalization, and controlled drug delivery.