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Updated: Sep 12, 2026

Advancements in the Metabolic Profiling of Three-Dimensional Brain Tumor Spheroids for Drug Screening
Published on: September 5, 2025
Dual metabolic checkpoint blockade via a 3D-Printed metalloplatform remodels the tumor ecosystem for systemic
Xiaoyan Meng1, Zhonglong Liu1, Yongqiang Hao2
1Department of Oral Maxillofacial & Head and Neck Oncology, Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, College of Stomatology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, National Center for Stomatology, National Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Stomatology, Shanghai, 200011, China.
Abstract:
The immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment limits the efficacy of therapies that target metabolism. Here we show a strategy of dual metabolic regulation that simultaneously reprogramming glycolysis in cancer cells and fructose metabolism in tumor-associated macrophages, transforms the metabolic ecosystem from pro-tumor to antitumor, eliciting systemic immunity. Through pan-cancer single-cell analysis, we identified a metabolic division of labor: cancer cells exhibit hyperactive glycolysis, while immunosuppressive macrophages display elevated fructose metabolism. We uncovered that manganese ions (Mn2+) selectively suggest a potential inhibitory effect on glycolysis, induce pyroptosis, yet paradoxically upregulate fructose metabolism in M2-like macrophages, creating an exploitable vulnerability. To harness this dual activity, we engineered a 3D-printed nanoporous Cu-Mn alloy (CuMn) that provides sustained intratumoral release of Mn2+ and delivers a fructokinase inhibitor. In a bilateral breast carcinoma model, a single intratumoral implantation of this platform suppressed primary tumor growth and eradicated distant untreated lesions. Therapeutic efficacy was associated with macrophage reprogramming, which remodeled the immune microenvironment, alleviated T cell exhaustion, and inhibited distant tumor growth, suggesting potential systemic antitumor effects. Local delivery of the nano platform offers a strategy to overcome tumor immunosuppression and enhance cancer immunotherapy.
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