Ionic Liquids and Deep Eutectic Solvents for Transdermal Delivery of Vaccines

Transdermal delivery of macromolecules is limited due to the low permeability of the skin. Many hydrophilic macromolecules such as proteins and nucleic acids cannot be administered through the skin without reducing barrier properties. It has recently been shown that that ionic liquids (ILs) can enhance transdermal delivery of drugs by overcoming potential issues related to skin irritation/toxicity associated with classical chemical enhancers. In this project we will investigate ILs as a novel approach to enable the administration of macromolecules as potential antigenic components in the field of vaccines. This will include IL synthesis and characterization, investigations of IL-biological membrane interactions, transdermal delivery of macromolecules, and the development of IL structure-property relationships for these.