Buy Gold!... for your immune system?

We're all familiar with the vaccination process; you go to the doctor, you cry and cringe and then you finally receive the shot. The vaccine of course is a de-activated version of a disease or virus, which causes your body to make protective antibodies, so if you ever do get the disease you'll be able to easily fight it off. However, scientists were still confused as to how the immune system recognizes these particles and knows whether or not to act against them. In order to find an answer, the scientists used nanoparticles made of gold and coated them with different chemical residues so the immune system can detect them. They concluded that hydrophobicity caused the immune system to react to their presence. This discovery could lead to more effective vaccines, better drug delivery systems, and more understanding about viruses and bacteria.