Front Row lecture series
Controlling the where, when and how long of vaccine delivery
Darrell Irvine, PhD
Professor and Vice-Chair
Lita Annenberg Hazen Chair
Department of Immunology and Microbiology
Wednesday, November 18, 2026
4:00 p.m. PT | 7:00 p.m. ET
Scientists are designing vaccines that produce stronger, more durable immune responses. In this free Front Row lecture, Scripps Research Professor and the Lita Annenberg Hazen Chair Darrell Irvine will explore how controlling where vaccine components travel in the body—and when and for how long they are delivered—could improve vaccine performance. Irvine will highlight two approaches his lab has advanced into clinical testing: saponin/monophosphoryl lipid A nanoparticles (SMNP), a new vaccine adjuvant designed to strengthen immune responses, and “escalating dose immunization,” a dosing strategy that delivers a vaccine gradually over time. Together, these technologies offer new ways to guide vaccine components to lymphoid tissues, where immune responses take shape.