---
OA_place: repository
OA_type: green
_id: '20858'
abstract:
- lang: eng
  text: Targeted antigen delivery to immune cells, particularly dendritic cells, has
    emerged as a promising strategy to enhance therapeutic efficacy of vaccines, while
    minimizing adverse effects associated with conventional immunization. In this
    study, we use our previously described small glycomimetic molecule that is selectively
    recognized by the Langerhans cell (LC)-specific surface receptor Langerin and
    demonstrate specific delivery of protein antigens to these specialized dendritic
    cells. Our results show that Langerin-mediated antigen delivery significantly
    enhances the immune response in vivo, resulting in increased expansion and activation
    of antigen-specific T cells, compared to immunization with unmodified antigen.
    We demonstrate the feasibility of our LC-targeted platform for immune cell-specific
    immunization with protein antigen and underscore the potential of LCs as an access
    point for next-generation vaccines and immunotherapies.
acknowledgement: This project was generously supported by Seedfinancing (grant no.
  P2282679) of the Austrian Bundesministerium für Digitalisierung und Wirtschaftsstandort
  and the Bundesministerium für Klimaschutz, Umwelt, Energie, Mobilität, Innovation,
  und Technologie, handled by the Austrian Wirtschaftsservice (aws), as well as by
  Life Science Call 2022 (grant no. FO999896442) of the Austrian Research Promotion
  Agency (FFG). We thank Mag. Michael Schunn from the PCF of the Institute of Science
  and Technology Austria for his continuous technical support.
article_processing_charge: No
article_type: original
author:
- first_name: Ramona
  full_name: Rica, Ramona
  last_name: Rica
- first_name: Klara
  full_name: Klein, Klara
  last_name: Klein
- first_name: Litty
  full_name: Johnson, Litty
  last_name: Johnson
- first_name: Gabriele
  full_name: Carta, Gabriele
  last_name: Carta
- first_name: Mirza
  full_name: Sarcevic, Mirza
  last_name: Sarcevic
- first_name: Freyja
  full_name: Langer, Freyja
  id: 3C1BE782-F248-11E8-B48F-1D18A9856A87
  last_name: Langer
- first_name: Christoph
  full_name: Rademacher, Christoph
  last_name: Rademacher
- first_name: Robert
  full_name: Wawrzinek, Robert
  last_name: Wawrzinek
- first_name: Federica
  full_name: Quattrone, Federica
  last_name: Quattrone
- first_name: Florian
  full_name: Sparber, Florian
  last_name: Sparber
biorxivid: 1
citation:
  ama: Rica R, Klein K, Johnson L, et al. Langerhans cell-targeted protein delivery
    enhances antigen-specific cellular immune response. <i>Molecular Therapy</i>.
    2026;34(1):397-406. doi:<a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ymthe.2025.10.008">10.1016/j.ymthe.2025.10.008</a>
  apa: Rica, R., Klein, K., Johnson, L., Carta, G., Sarcevic, M., Langer, F., … Sparber,
    F. (2026). Langerhans cell-targeted protein delivery enhances antigen-specific
    cellular immune response. <i>Molecular Therapy</i>. Cell Press. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ymthe.2025.10.008">https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ymthe.2025.10.008</a>
  chicago: Rica, Ramona, Klara Klein, Litty Johnson, Gabriele Carta, Mirza Sarcevic,
    Freyja Langer, Christoph Rademacher, Robert Wawrzinek, Federica Quattrone, and
    Florian Sparber. “Langerhans Cell-Targeted Protein Delivery Enhances Antigen-Specific
    Cellular Immune Response.” <i>Molecular Therapy</i>. Cell Press, 2026. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ymthe.2025.10.008">https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ymthe.2025.10.008</a>.
  ieee: R. Rica <i>et al.</i>, “Langerhans cell-targeted protein delivery enhances
    antigen-specific cellular immune response,” <i>Molecular Therapy</i>, vol. 34,
    no. 1. Cell Press, pp. 397–406, 2026.
  ista: Rica R, Klein K, Johnson L, Carta G, Sarcevic M, Langer F, Rademacher C, Wawrzinek
    R, Quattrone F, Sparber F. 2026. Langerhans cell-targeted protein delivery enhances
    antigen-specific cellular immune response. Molecular Therapy. 34(1), 397–406.
  mla: Rica, Ramona, et al. “Langerhans Cell-Targeted Protein Delivery Enhances Antigen-Specific
    Cellular Immune Response.” <i>Molecular Therapy</i>, vol. 34, no. 1, Cell Press,
    2026, pp. 397–406, doi:<a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ymthe.2025.10.008">10.1016/j.ymthe.2025.10.008</a>.
  short: R. Rica, K. Klein, L. Johnson, G. Carta, M. Sarcevic, F. Langer, C. Rademacher,
    R. Wawrzinek, F. Quattrone, F. Sparber, Molecular Therapy 34 (2026) 397–406.
dataavailabilitystatement: The data that support the findings of this study are available
  on request from the corresponding authors.
date_created: 2025-12-28T23:01:26Z
date_published: 2026-01-07T00:00:00Z
date_updated: 2026-10-20T09:03:08Z
day: '07'
department:
- _id: PreCl
doi: 10.1016/j.ymthe.2025.10.008
external_id:
  biorxivid:
  - 10.1101/2025.05.05.652195
fulldoi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ymthe.2025.10.008
intvolume: '        34'
issue: '1'
language:
- iso: eng
main_file_link:
- open_access: '1'
  url: https://doi.org/10.1101/2025.05.05.652195
month: '01'
oa: 1
oa_version: Preprint
page: 397-406
publication: Molecular Therapy
publication_identifier:
  eissn:
  - 1525-0024
  issn:
  - 1525-0016
publication_status: published
publisher: Cell Press
quality_controlled: '1'
researchdata_availability: upon request
scopus_import: '1'
status: public
supplementarymaterial: yes
title: Langerhans cell-targeted protein delivery enhances antigen-specific cellular
  immune response
type: journal_article
user_id: 2DF688A6-F248-11E8-B48F-1D18A9856A87
volume: 34
year: '2026'
...