Integrated Fiber Microneeedles in the Oral Mucosa Prime Antigen-Specific Immunity

Introduction: Lymphocyte populations in the oral cavity can elicit immune responses in local and distal mucosae (1). Vaccines targeting the oral cavity encounter challenges such as salivary clearance, enzymatic degradation, and epithelial barriers (2). Microneedles are an emerging vaccine strategy capable of addressing these barriers and inducing potent humoral and cellular responses (3). We leveraged integrated fiber microneedles and gene gun to deliver a DNA vaccine to the buccal mucosa and cheek dermis, demonstrating a heterologous immunization approach that targets the immunologically rich oral cavity.