Nanoparticles-mediated intratumoral gene editing targeting PD-L1 and Galectin-9 for improved cancer immunotherapy

PD-L1, a typical immune checkpoint expressed on tumor cells, reduces the effectiveness of T cell-mediated killing, which is further aggravated by Galectin-9 (Gal-9) co-expression through the TIM3/Gal-9 pathway. Although immune checkpoint inhibitors have shown promise in cancer therapy, limitations remain including low response rate, systemic toxicities, and the need of frequent treatments. Here, we described a dual knockout approach targeting PD-L1 and Gal-9 in tumor cells, achieved by nanoparticle-assisted CRISPR-Cas9 delivery, aimed at improved cancer immunotherapy. A calcium phosphate nanoparticle (CaP NP) was engineered for co-delivery of CRISPR-Cas9/sgRNA ribonucleoprotein (RNP) and initiation of anti-tumor immunity. Intratumoral administration of RNP-loaded CaP NPs effectively knocked out PD-L1 and Gal-9 in tumor cells, evoking robust anti-tumor immunity. Additionally, Ca²⁺ overload due to the degradation of CaP NPs led to release of damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs) signals, further enhancing T-cell-mediated antitumor immune responses. Our results demonstrated that this treatment effectively evoked both local and systemic anti-tumor immune responses, significantly inhibiting the growth of primary and distant tumors in mouse models. Importantly, local treatment also altered the phenotypes of circulating tumor cells, as a substantial of circulating tumor cells originated from RNP-CaP-treated primary tumors and exhibited dual knockouts, which led to reduced lung metastasis.