A cooperation between scientists from the Max Planck Institute for Colloids and Interfaces in Potsdam and researchers from the Medical University of Innsbruck has shown that the so-called Langerhans cells of the skin, which are located in the upper skin layer, the epidermis, are available for an immune response of the organism when pathogens enter the body or tumours occur. This system could therefore be used for the targeted administration of vaccines or drugs in order to achieve a controlled immune response of the body, because the Langerhans cells can trigger a reaction in the entire organism after local application of an active substance. They recognise so-called antigens or pathogens, absorb them, and the body’s T cells then render them harmless. The Lagerhans cells carry receptors on the surface for recognition and uptake. These receptors, which are themselves proteins, recognise the sugar structures of pathogenic germs. The research team used these basic recognition mechanisms for further analyses of the mode of action of the Langerhans cells. They developed a sugar-like artificial ligand whose atoms can interact with parts of the Langerhans cell receptor. This structure enables the scientists to introduce nanoparticles into cells, which can be carriers of various active substances such as vaccines and drugs. In this case, the nanoparticles are liposomes, or liposomal particles, which allow a targeted uptake of active substances into the cell without being destroyed by cells of the immune system beforehand. The findings of the researchers from both scientific institutes are sensational because these nanoparticles enable the targeted transport of active substances. Novel vaccines against infections, but also immunotherapeutics for the treatment of cancer or autoimmune diseases can thus be introduced into the organism in a targeted manner and are not destroyed by the body’s macrophages.
