Nasal route for vaccine and drug delivery: features and current opportunities

•Mucosal routes reemerge as an interesting alternative for drug and vaccine delivery.•Nasal mucosa intrinsic characteristics favor drug absorption.•NALT comprises B and T cells, and a dense network of antigen presenting cells.•Nasal vaccination shows promising achievements in infectious diseases and cancer.•Nasal route may compete with oral or intravenous in systemic-acting drugs delivery.•Nose to brain delivery constitutes another appealing application of nasal route.