Nanocarriers for cancer nano-immunotherapy

Abstract

The host immune system possesses an intrinsic ability to target and kill cancer cells in a specific and adaptable manner that can be further enhanced by cancer immunotherapy, which aims to train the immune system to boost the antitumor immune response. Several different categories of cancer immunotherapy have emerged as new standard cancer therapies in the clinic, including cancer vaccines, immune checkpoint inhibitors, adoptive T cell therapy, and oncolytic virus therapy. Despite the remarkable survival benefit for a subset of patients, the low response rate and immunotoxicity remain the major challenges for current cancer immunotherapy. Over the last few decades, nanomedicine has been intensively investigated with great enthusiasm, leading to marked advancements in nanoparticle platforms and nanoengineering technology. Advances in nanomedicine and immunotherapy have also led to the emergence of a nascent research field of nano-immunotherapy, which aims to realize the full therapeutic potential of immunotherapy with the aid of nanomedicine. In particular, nanocarriers present an exciting opportunity in immuno-oncology to boost the activity, increase specificity, decrease toxicity, and sustain the antitumor efficacy of immunological agents by potentiating immunostimulatory activity and favorably modulating pharmacological properties. This review discusses the potential of nanocarriers for cancer immunotherapy and introduces preclinical studies designed to improve clinical cancer immunotherapy modalities using nanocarrier-based engineering approaches. It also discusses the potential of nanocarriers to address the challenges currently faced by immuno-oncology as well as the challenges for their translation to clinical applications. Graphical abstract

Identification of the Immune Cell Infiltration Landscape in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma (HNSC) for the Exploration of Immunotherapy and Prognosis

“…Previously, different combinations of cytotoxic chemotherapy drugs have not proved to prolong the overall survival (OS) of these patients. There are three types of immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy (ICIs): programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1), programmed death 1 (PD1), and CTL-associated protein 4 (CTLA4) [ 9 ]. The use of anti-PD1 therapy in patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSC) has proven to be a promising treatment for patients who have recurrences/metastases [ 10 ].…”

Anti-EGFR Bioengineered Bacterial Outer Membrane Vesicles as Targeted Immunotherapy Agents in Triple-Negative Breast Tumor Murine Model

“…The presence of TLR agonists on OMVs plays an important role in their ability to e ciently stimulate both innate and adaptive immunity [4]. The potential of OMVs as immunotherapy agents have been demonstrated in previous researches [3,[30][31][32]. Although for some less destructive tumors of CT26 and MC38 adenocarcinoma, monotherapy with bacterial OMVs can be effective [3], combination therapies with immune checkpoint inhibitors or other immunotherapy modalities are currently an area of intense research [33].…”

How Precise are Nanomedicines in Overcoming the Blood–Brain Barrier? A Comprehensive Review of the Literature

“… 100 Nano-immunotherapy has become a viable approach to maximize the uptake of therapeutic drugs in brain disorders and decrease off-target damage, nano-immunotherapy has become a viable approach. 101 Nanomaterials can assist in changing how biologics interact with target immune cells, resulting in the accumulation of these immunomodulators in brain disorders and the surrounding microenvironment. 12 Nanomaterials can also target immunomodulators in brain disorders.…”