Nano-sized drug delivery systems to potentiate the immune checkpoint blockade therapy

ABSTRACT

Introduction

Immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) therapy is now FDA-approved for the treatment of various tumor types. By removing inhibitory signals for T-cell activation and disrupting the immune escape mechanism of tumor cells, ICB therapy has shown considerable efficacy with complete tumor regression in patients. However, patients respond poorly to this therapy and show limited response rates owing to the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment (ITM) in cold tumors.

Areas covered

In this review, recent advances and progress in the use of nano-sized drug delivery system (Nano-DDS) to potentiate the ICB therapy by reversing cold tumors with an ITM into immunogenic hot tumors are discussed. The types of immunogenic cell death (ICD) inducers that initiate or enhance antitumor immune responses are classified, and their extensive combination with immune modulators using Nano-DDS is highlighted.

Expert opinion

Nano-DDS can be efficiently combined with ICD inducers and immune modulators and trigger a potent antitumor immune response based on a comprehensive approach to the cancer-immunity cycle.

KEYWORDS:

• Nanomedicine
• drug delivery
• cancer immunotherapy
• immune checkpoint blockade
• combination therapy

Article highlights

• Nano-sized drug delivery systems (Nano-DDS) can be applied to selectively induce immunogenic cell death (ICD) in tumor cells and initiate antitumor immune responses to potentiate the immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) therapy.

• Nano-DDS efficiently combines the ICD inducers with various immune modulators.

• Nano-DDS delivers the ICD inducers and various immune modulators in the tumor tissues via the EPR effect.

• This review provides an overview of valuable opportunities and challenges in Nano-DDS-based cancer immunotherapy.

Declaration of interest

The authors have no relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript. This includes employment, consultancies, honoraria, stock ownership or options, expert testimony, grants or patents received or pending, or royalties.

Reviewer disclosures

Peer reviewers on this manuscript have no relevant financial or other relationships to disclose.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) grant funded by the Korea government (NRF-2019R1A2C3006283 and NRF-2021R1C1C2005460), the KU-KIST Graduate School of Converging Science and Technology (Korea University & KIST) and the Intramural Research Program of KIST.