Nanomaterials Application for STING Pathway-Based Tumor Immunotherapy

The STING pathway has emerged as a therapeutic target in tumor immunotherapy due to its ability to induce interferon responses, enhance antigen presentation and activate T cells. Despite its therapeutic potential, STING pathway-based tumor immunotherapy has been limited by challenges in poor cellular delivery, rapid degradation of STING agonists, and potential systemic toxicity. Recently, advancements in nanotechnology have tried to overcome these limitations by providing platforms for more accurate and efficient targeted delivery of agonists, more moderate sustained STING pathway activation, and more efficient immune presentation and anti-tumor immune response. This review systematically examines the application of nanomaterials in STING pathway-based tumor immunotherapy, focusing on three principal strategies: enhancing tumor vaccine efficacy, modulating the tumor microenvironment, and improving T cell mediated tumor immunotherapy. The challenges to clinical translation, including clinical trial research updates, regulatory hurdles, and biosafety considerations, are also discussed. Overall, STING pathway-based nanomaterials offer promising potential for clinical translation in tumor immunotherapy.