Injectable hydrogels for personalized cancer immunotherapies

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Immunology
• Materials Science

Background:

• Cancer immunotherapy is rapidly advancing, with a focus on improving local immunomodulation strategies.
• Injectable hydrogels (IHs) are emerging as versatile drug delivery systems for cancer treatment.
• IHs can encapsulate and control the release of therapeutic agents, including immune cells and small molecules, within the tumor microenvironment.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review recent advancements in cancer immunotherapy utilizing injectable hydrogels (IHs).
• To summarize the applications of IHs for local delivery of immune cells and therapeutic agents.
• To highlight the potential of IHs in combination therapies for enhanced anticancer immune responses.

Main Methods:

• Literature review of studies on IHs in cancer immunotherapy.
• Analysis of IHs' role in delivering natural killer (NK) cells, T cells, and antigen-presenting cells (APCs).
• Examination of IHs in combination therapies such as chemoimmunotherapy, radio-immunotherapy, and photothermal-immunotherapy.

Main Results:

• IHs facilitate the controlled release of immune cells and therapeutic agents into the tumor microenvironment.
• Local delivery via IHs enhances antitumor immune responses and inhibits metastasis and recurrence.
• Hydrogel-based platforms have demonstrated significant reductions in tumor growth in preclinical studies.

Conclusions:

• Injectable hydrogels represent a significant advancement in localized cancer immunotherapy delivery.
• IHs offer a versatile platform for amplifying immune reactions and improving treatment efficacy.
• The use of IHs in combination therapies holds great potential for innovative and powerful cancer treatment strategies.