On April 8th, it was learned from Shanghai Medical College of Fudan University that a team of researchers from the institute, led by Lu Lu, in collaboration with Wang Ji from the First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat sen University and Zeng Yingyue from the School of Life Sciences at Liaoning University, has developed a high affinity endoplasmic reticulum targeting molecule based on interferon gene stimulatory protein agonists. This molecule can accurately deliver antigens from the cytoplasm to the endoplasmic reticulum, providing a new direction and foundation for the development of personalized tumor vaccines and broad-spectrum antiviral vaccines. The relevant research results were published online in the international journal Nature. Traditional vaccines achieve their immune goals by injecting specific proteins, polysaccharides, and other substances into the human body, triggering a "reminder" to the immune system. These specific substances are called antigens. After being discovered by the body, antigens are transported into the cytoplasm of specific cells, then enter the endoplasmic reticulum for processing, and finally displayed on the cell surface to "alert" the immune system. How many antigens can smoothly reach the endoplasmic reticulum during this process? Is the number of antigens reaching the endoplasmic reticulum limited, thereby limiting the efficiency of antigen activation? These issues are key to improving the efficiency of antigen action. How to efficiently deliver antigens to the endoplasmic reticulum has always been one of the scientific challenges that scholars in this field are concerned about. The special targeting molecule developed by the research team can accurately and effectively deliver antigens from the cytoplasm to the endoplasmic reticulum. This technology has achieved a key goal in the development of infectious disease vaccines and cancer immunotherapy: inducing CD8+T cells to initiate an immune response and launch an "attack" on diseased cells. CD8+T cells are a powerful "special forces" in white blood cells, specifically responsible for precise clearance of infected or cancerous cells. Researchers say that this technology can not only enhance the immune response of CD8+T cells, but also assist in enhancing the immune response of body fluids, which is comparable to or even higher than the ability of other existing adjuvant drugs. The reporter learned that the study demonstrated through experiments on two models of tumor vaccines and infectious disease vaccines that this precise targeting of the "last mile" from cytoplasm to endoplasmic reticulum can significantly enhance the immune efficacy of vaccines. This technology is expected to bring new strategies for the prevention and treatment of cancer and infectious diseases. (New Society)