Figure 3.

Schematic representation of different targeted carrier-systems. Antibody-based shuttle systems can be employed to specifically address molecules to DCs in vivo. While the antigen can be directly coupled to the targeting antibody, novel approaches might even allow for direct delivery of adjuvants via the shuttle system, thus potentially minimizing unwanted adjuvant off-target effects. Therefore, chemical coupling of adjuvants to the targeting antibody or inclusion of adjuvant and antigens in antibody-coated nanovesicles may provide an elegant solution. Further, the use of nanocarrier-systems might even allow for the delivery of siRNAs and miRNAs to modify the DC function on post-transcriptional level or to directly express proteins of choice following mRNA loading. siRNA = small interfering RNA; miRNA = micro RNA; mRNA = messenger RNA.