Functional Nanomaterials for Tumor Immunotherapy

Malignant tumors pose a significant threat to human health, with over 90% of tumor-related deaths attributed to metastasis. How to overcome the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment and tumor metastasis is the main challenge. In this context, we have designed a range of nanocomposites to address the aforementioned challenges. (1) Various biodegradable pyroptosis inducers have been developed. And the systematic mechanisms of different nano-pyroptosis inducers-induced pyroptosis and cuproptosis as well as their potential in anti-tumor immunotherapy and inhibition of tumor metastasis have been investigated. (2) A synergistic strategy combining immunotherapy and inhibition of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) formation was proposed. Au nanoparticles with a large pore size were utilized as carriers for delivering anti-CD24 antibodies, which not only blocked the CD24/SIG-C10 signaling pathway but also alleviated its inhibitory effect on macrophages, thereby enhancing immune response. (3) A "metal chelation therapy" method has been proposed. The copper chelating agent D-penicillamine coordinated with Zn²⁺ to form a nanotherapeutic agent (Zn-PEN), which depletes copper in tumor cells and promotes the proliferation of Zn²⁺, ultimately achieving synergistic anti-tumor, antibacterial, and anti-metastasis therapy. Furthormore, we proposed a strategy of artificially mimicking EMT, integrating ferroptosis and immunotherapy to inhibit tumor growth and metastasis by EDTA-Mg nanochelator.

References

[1] Xie, Y. L.; Li, C. X. et al. Adv. Mater. 2026, 38, e15904.

[2] Xie, Y. L.; Lin. J.; Li, C. X. et al. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2025, 64, e202411976.

[3] Xie, Y. L.; Li, C. X. et al. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2025, 64, e202506126.

[4] Zhu, G. Q.; Li, C. X. et al. Adv. Mater. 2024, 36, 2409066.

[5] Qiao, L. Q.; Li, C. X. et al. Adv. Mater. 2024, 36, 2308241.