Biomimetic nanoparticles for cancer vaccines and immunotherapy: mechanisms, tumor microenvironment reprogramming, and translational perspectives

Biomimetic nanoparticles (BMNPs) have emerged as promising platforms for cancer vaccines and immunotherapy by combining nanoscale delivery systems with biological interfaces derived from cells or extracellular vesicles (EVs). Their therapeutic behavior is influenced by the biological source, surface composition, nanoparticle architecture, and incorporated cargo, which together determine cellular recognition, antigen processing, immune activation, and tissue targeting. This review discusses major BMNP platforms, including cancer-cell, immune-cell, red blood cell, platelet, and EV-derived systems, using a structure-to-function perspective. The mechanisms underlying antigen delivery, dendritic cell activation, T-cell priming, immune checkpoint regulation, and tumor microenvironment modulation are examined, alongside representative preclinical evidence in cancer vaccination, combination immunotherapy, and emerging infectious disease vaccination. Key barriers to clinical translation, including biological heterogeneity, manufacturing reproducibility, quality control, potency, safety, and regulatory characterization, are also considered. Emerging approaches involving precision membrane engineering, standardized manufacturing, computational design, and personalized biomimetic vaccines are further discussed. Overall, BMNPs provide a versatile link between biological recognition and nanomedicine, but clinical translation will require reproducible structure-function relationships, rigorous characterization, and stronger preclinical validation.

Abstract from PubMed Central (PMID 43022317, PMC13755498). This entry was added automatically by our daily literature monitor because it matches the topics we follow; read the full paper at the original source.