Multimodal Imaging-Guided Photothermal Immunotherapy Based on a Versatile NIR-II Aggregation-Induced Emission...

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Nanotechnology
• Cancer Research

Background:

• Synergistic photothermal immunotherapy shows promise for treating primary and abscopal tumors.
• Developing versatile theranostic agents is crucial for advanced cancer treatment.

Purpose of the Study:

• To design and prepare a novel aggregation-induced emission theranostic agent, TPA-BT-DPTQ.
• To evaluate its efficacy in fluorescence imaging (FLI), photoacoustic imaging (PAI), photothermal imaging (PTI), and photothermal therapy (PTT).
• To investigate its potential in synergistic photothermal immunotherapy combined with PD-L1 blockade.

Main Methods:

• Synthesis of TPA-BT-DPTQ based on a benzo[c]thiophene unit.
• Characterization of the theranostic agent's imaging and therapeutic properties.
• In vivo experiments assessing primary tumor ablation, abscopal effect, and anti-metastasis/recurrence efficacy.
• Combination therapy with programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) antibody.

Main Results:

• TPA-BT-DPTQ demonstrated simultaneous FLI (NIR-II), PAI, and PTI capabilities.
• PTT mediated by TPA-BT-DPTQ nanoparticles effectively eradicated primary tumors.
• The treatment enhanced anti-tumor immunogenicity, leading to suppressed growth of distant tumors.
• Combined PTT and PD-L1 antibody treatment effectively prevented cancer metastasis and recurrence.

Conclusions:

• TPA-BT-DPTQ is a versatile theranostic agent for advanced cancer treatment.
• Synergistic photothermal immunotherapy potentiated by TPA-BT-DPTQ and PD-L1 blockade offers a promising strategy against cancer metastasis and recurrence.