Biomimetic Nanoparticle Vaccines for Cancer Therapy

Abstract

It is currently understood that, in order for a tumor to successfully grow, it must evolve means of evading immune surveillance. In the past several decades, researchers have leveraged increases in our knowledge of tumor immunology to develop therapies capable of augmenting endogenous immunity and eliciting strong antitumor responses. In particular, the goal of anticancer vaccination is to train the immune system to properly utilize its own resources in the fight against cancer. Although attractive in principle, there are currently only limited examples of anticancer vaccines that have been successfully translated to the clinic. Recently, there has been a significant push towards the use of nanotechnology for designing vaccine candidates that exhibit enhanced potency and specificity. In this progress report, we discuss recent developments in the field of anticancer nanovaccines. By taking advantage of the flexibility offered by nanomedicine to purposefully program immune responses, this new generation of vaccines has the potential to address many of the hurdles facing traditional platforms. A specific emphasis is placed on the emergence of cell membrane-coated nanoparticles, a novel biomimetic platform that can be used to generate personalized nanovaccines that elicit strong, multi-antigenic antitumor responses.

Biomimetic Nanotechnology toward Personalized Vaccines

“…Cell membrane–coated nanoparticles, with their unique properties, have recently been leveraged in the design of anticancer vaccines . RBC‐NPs are known for their reduced host immune interactions and have been used extensively as a delivery vehicle .…”

Nanoengineered targeting strategy for cancer immunotherapy

“…Unlike traditional vaccines, which boost the body's immune system to prevent infections, cancer vaccines boost the immune system to attack existing cancer cells [14]. Several anticancer vaccines have been processed in clinical trials, such as dendritic cell (DC) treatment for glioblastoma (NCT01808820), peptide vaccines for recurrent glioblastoma (NCT02754362) and whole-cell vaccines for breast cancer (NCT00317603), yet the limited ability to generate strong antitumor responses has hindered their wide application [15]. Therapeutic cancer vaccines should induce targeted killing of tumor cells as well as long-lasting immune protection against tumor recurrence or metastasis.…”

Nanoparticle-based vaccines

“…These NPs were stable and persisted in the structure during cellular endocytosis, activating the maturation of dendritic cells (DCs) and presenting especially to T cells that have TCR binding to gp100 and inducing the production of IFN-g. Moreover, the authors found that the PLGA covering membrane had receptors that allow interaction with cancer cells and delivery of the drug [4,5]. Furthermore, the NPs were used to deliver drugs to the specific site of organ transplantation to prevent rejection.…”