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Updated: Feb 14, 2026

Production and Detection of Reactive Oxygen Species ROS in Cancers
07:17

Production and Detection of Reactive Oxygen Species ROS in Cancers

Published on: November 21, 2011

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In situ formed reactive oxygen species-responsive scaffold with gemcitabine and checkpoint inhibitor for combination

Chao Wang1,2, Jinqiang Wang1,2, Xudong Zhang1,2

  • 1Joint Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695, USA.

Science Translational Medicine
|February 23, 2018
PubMed

Insights

This study introduces a novel scaffold delivering gemcitabine and anti-PD-L1 therapy directly to tumors. This approach enhances anti-tumor immunity and promotes tumor regression, preventing recurrence in preclinical models.

Area of Science:

  • Biomedical Engineering
  • Immunotherapy
  • Drug Delivery Systems

Background:

  • Low-immunogenic tumors exhibit poor response to immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) therapies targeting the programmed death-1 (PD-1)/programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) pathway.
  • Immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) therapy can lead to significant side effects in responding patients.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To engineer a localized therapeutic delivery system combining chemotherapy and immunotherapy for enhanced anti-tumor immune response.
  • To develop a novel scaffold for in situ formation and programmed release of gemcitabine (GEM) and an anti-PD-L1 antibody (aPDL1).

Main Methods:

  • Fabrication of a reactive oxygen species (ROS)-degradable hydrogel scaffold for controlled drug release within the tumor microenvironment (TME).
  • In situ administration of the scaffold to release GEM and aPDL1 with distinct release kinetics.
  • Evaluation of the scaffold's efficacy in promoting immunogenic tumor phenotype and immune-mediated tumor regression in tumor-bearing mice.

Main Results:

  • The engineered aPDL1-GEM scaffold successfully elicited an immunogenic tumor phenotype in vivo.
  • The scaffold demonstrated significant immune-mediated tumor regression in preclinical models.
  • Treatment with the aPDL1-GEM scaffold prevented tumor recurrence after primary tumor resection.

Conclusions:

  • The developed ROS-degradable hydrogel scaffold offers a promising strategy for localized delivery of combination therapy (GEM and aPDL1).
  • This localized approach enhances anti-tumor immunity and achieves durable tumor regression, highlighting its potential for treating low-immunogenic tumors and preventing recurrence.

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