Activated T-cell membrane-derived nanocargoes displaying multi-immune checkpoints for enhanced cancer immunotherapy

Li Du1, Xiaoying Zhang1, Yao Gong1

  • 1The Center for Clinical Molecular Medical Detection, Innovative and Translational Laboratory of Molecular Diagnostics, Laboratory Medicine Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, 400016, China.

Materials Today. Bio
|January 21, 2026
PubMed

The advent of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) has significantly transformed the landscape of cancer treatment in the last decade. However, the efficacy of single-agent ICI remains constrained due to multiple immune checkpoints (ICs)-mediated T cell suppression and inadequate T cell tumor infiltration. Here, we developed a novel approach using activated T-cell membrane-guided nanocarriers to simultaneously block multiple ICs and enhance T-cell infiltration. Initially, primary T cell activation was induced in vitro, and T cells with high expression of ICs were selected to prepare T-cell membrane vesicles. These vesicles were then utilized to coat immunogenic inducer-loaded liposomes (dLNPs) to create nanocarriers termed AM-dLNPs. The AM-dLNPs were demonstrated to effectively inhibit multiple ICs pathways through competitive blockade of immune checkpoint ligand-receptor interactions and down-regulation of immune checkpoint ligand expression. Additionally, the AM-dLNPs exhibited a strong ability to promote intratumoral T cell infiltration through targeted delivery of the immunogenic inducer. Benefiting from the exceptional biosafety profile, multi-ICs blockade efficacy, and tumor-targeting properties of the T-cell membrane vesicles, administration of AM-dLNPs resulted in a significant reduction in tumor progression and notable survival advantages in various mouse tumor models. These findings provide a basis for the clinical assessment of activated T-cell membrane-derived nanocarriers, which solves the dilemma of limited effects of ICI treatment without biosafety concerns. Its versatility also enables the targeted delivery of other immunogenic agents for synergistic antitumor immunotherapies.

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