Papers, explained in our own words

1. Cationic nanoparticles enhance T cell tumor infiltration and antitumor immune responses to a melanoma vaccine

Rasheid Smith, Emad I. Wafa, Sean M. Geary, Kareem Ebeid, Suhaila O. Alhaj-Suliman, Aliasger K. Salem

Cancer vaccines as monotherapies have displayed limited clinical success due to the immunosuppressive tumour microenvironment (TME). Nanoscale formulations can enhance vaccine efficacy by combating TME immunosuppression, but there is a need for novel adjuvant formulations that can be combined with therapeutic cancer…

• T cells
• Nanoparticles
• PLGA
• Polymeric
• Dendritic cells
• Endocytosis
• Cellular uptake

2. Imidazole-based Synthetic Lipidoids for In Vivo mRNA Delivery into Primary T Lymphocytes

Xuewei Zhao, Jinjin Chen, Min Qiu, Yamin Li, Zachary Glass, Qiaobing Xu

In vivo engineering of T lymphocytes is limited by poor transfection efficiency and reliance on ex vivo electroporation. A non-viral mRNA delivery platform that can target primary T cells in vivo is needed for CAR T-cell therapy, vaccines, and immunotherapy. Rough screening identified imidazole head 93 with O17O…

• mRNA
• Lipid nanoparticle
• T cells
• Dendritic cells
• Macrophages
• Transfection
• CAR-T cells

3. pH-sensitive polymer-modified liposome based immunity-inducing system Effects of inclusion of cationic lipid and CpG-DNA

Yoshizaki Y, Yuba E, Sakaguchi N, Koiwai K, Harada A, Kono K

Efficient cancer vaccine carriers need both antigen delivery to dendritic cells (DCs) and DC activation. Previous pH-sensitive polymer-modified liposomes delivered antigen to DC cytosol but had limited adjuvant potency, and combining cationic lipid TRX with MPLA reduced antitumor effects, suggesting a need for…

• Polymeric
• DNA
• Liposomes
• Cancer immunotherapy
• T cells
• Dendritic cells
• Nanocarriers

4. Enhanced antitumor immunity by targeting dendritic cells with tumor cell lysate-loaded chitosan nanoparticles vaccine

Shi Gn, Zhang Cn, Xu R, Niu Jf, Song Hj, Zhang Xy, Wang Ww, Wang Ym, Li C, Wei Xq, Kong Dl

Whole tumour cell lysates (TCL) are a broad source of tumour antigens for cancer vaccines, but soluble TCL is unstable, poorly taken up by dendritic cells (DCs), and inefficient at inducing cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) responses. A delivery system was needed to protect TCL antigens, target DCs, and enhance antigen…

• Nanoparticles
• Chitosan
• Dendritic cells
• T cells
• Antigen presentation
• Polymeric
• Nanocarriers

5. Human immune cell targeting of protein nanoparticles – caveospheres

Joshua J. Glass, Daniel Yuen, James Rae, Angus P. R. Johnston, Robert G. Parton, Stephen J. Kent, Robert De Rose

Investigations of nanoparticle targeting to immune cells are conventionally restricted to monocultured cell line models that lack the complexity of primary human blood cell populations, including non-specific association with, and competition from, diverse cell types. A more physiologically relevant system using…

• Nanoparticles
• T cells
• Immune cells
• Drug delivery
• Dendritic cells
• Biodistribution
• Endocytosis

6. Type I Interferons Interfere with the Capacity of mRNA Lipoplex Vaccines to Elicit Cytolytic T Cell Responses

Ans De Beuckelaer, Charlotte Pollard, Sandra Van Lint, Kenny Roose, Lien Van Hoecke, Thomas Naessens, Vimal Kumar Udhayakumar, Muriel Smet, Niek Sanders, Stefan Lienenklaus, Xavier Saelens, Siegfried Weiss, Guido Vanham, Johan Grooten & Stefaan De Koker

mRNA vaccines are promising for inducing cytolytic CD8⁺ T cell responses, and lipoplex carriers improve mRNA delivery to dendritic cells. However, the innate factors that regulate T cell induction by mRNA lipoplex vaccines remain unresolved. In particular, type I interferons (IFNs) are induced by mRNA but can either…

• mRNA
• T cells
• Liposomes
• Dendritic cells
• TCR signalling
• Nanocarriers
• Gene delivery

7. Antigen-Loaded Upconversion Nanoparticles for Dendritic Cell Stimulation, Tracking, and Vaccination in Dendritic Cell-Based Immunotherapy

Jian Xiang, Ligeng Xu, Hua Gong, Wenwen Zhu, Chao Wang, Jun Xu, Liangzhu Feng, Liang Cheng, Rui Peng, Zhuang Liu

Dendritic cell (DC)-based immunotherapy requires efficient antigen delivery into DCs, DC maturation, and migration to draining lymph nodes, but real-time tracking of DC migration remains challenging with traditional methods (e.g., FITC painting). While upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) offer advantages for sensitive…

• Nanoparticles
• T cells
• Polyethylenimine
• Polymeric
• Macrophages
• Biodistribution
• Dendritic cells

8. Targeting nanoparticles to CD40, DEC-205 or CD11c molecules on dendritic cells for efficient CD8+ T cell response: A comparative study

Luis J. Cruz, Rodney A. Rosalia, Jan Willem Kleinovink, Felix Rueda, Clemens W.G.M. Löwik, Ferry Ossendorp

Dendritic cell (DC)-based therapies have shown clinical benefits but are hampered by labour-intensive, GMP-regulated vaccine preparations requiring multiple steps and donor variability. In vivo targeting of antigens to DC surface receptors using nanoparticle delivery systems could circumvent these drawbacks. However…

• T cells
• Nanoparticles
• Dendritic cells
• PLGA
• Biodistribution
• Polymeric
• Targeted delivery

9. A Carbon Nanotube–Polymer Composite for T-Cell Therapy

Tarek R. Fadel, Fiona A. Sharp, Nalini Vudattu, Ragy Ragheb, Justin Garyu, Dongin Kim, Enping Hong, Nan Li, Gary L. Haller, Lisa D. Pfefferle, Sune Justesen, Kevan C. Herold, Tarek M. Fahmy

Adoptive cell transfer of tumour-specific T cells is a promising cancer immunotherapy, but efficient and economical ex vivo expansion of T cells remains a bottleneck. Artificial antigen-presenting cells (aAPCs) with high surface area and modular design could overcome cost and scalability limits of dendritic…

• T cells
• Polymeric
• Nanoparticles
• PLGA
• Cancer immunotherapy
• Dendritic cells
• Antigen presentation

10. PLGA-nanoparticle mediated delivery of anti-OX40 monoclonal antibody enhances anti-tumor cytotoxic T cell responses

Mingshui Chen, Haichao Ouyang, Shangyong Zhou, Jieyu Li, Yunbin Ye

Agonistic anti-OX40 monoclonal antibody (mAb) can enhance anti-tumour immunity in preclinical models, but as monotherapy it showed only marginal activity and no objective clinical responses in a phase I trial. A delivery system that improves T cell access, multivalent OX40 engagement, and sustained release of…

• T cells
• PLGA
• Nanoparticles
• Polymeric
• Cancer immunotherapy
• Dendritic cells
• Antigen presentation

11. Polymer Nanoparticles Containing Tumor Lysates as Antigen Delivery Vehicles for Dendritic Cell–Based Antitumor Immunotherapy

Shashi Prasad, Virginia Cody, Jennifer K. Saucier-Sawyer, W. Mark Saltzman, Clarence T. Sasaki, Richard L. Edelson, Martin A. Birchall, Douglas J. Hanlon

Efficient antigen delivery remains a major challenge for dendritic cell (DC)-based immunotherapy of solid-organ malignancies. Soluble tumour lysates suffer from instability, poor DC internalisation, and inefficient cross-presentation to cytotoxic T lymphocytes. PLGA nanoparticles may protect antigens, improve…

• Nanoparticles
• Polymeric
• T cells
• PLGA
• Dendritic cells
• Nanocarriers
• Gene delivery

12. Activation of Antigen-Specific T Cell-Responses by Mannan-Decorated PLGA Nanoparticles

Samar Hamdy, Azita Haddadi, Anooshirvan Shayeqanpour, John Samuel, Afsaneh Lavasanifar

Mannosylation of vaccine formulations is a promising strategy to target antigens to the mannose receptor (MR) on dendritic cells (DCs), potentially improving antigen uptake, processing, and presentation. While PLGA nanoparticles (NPs) are established vaccine delivery vehicles, the effect of chemical conjugation of…

• T cells
• PLGA
• Nanoparticles
• Polymeric
• Dendritic cells
• Vaccine delivery
• Peptides

13. Targeted PLGA nano- but not microparticles specifically deliver antigen to human dendritic cells via DC-SIGN in vitro

Luis J. Cruz, Paul J. Tacken, Remco Fokkink, Ben Joosten, Martien Cohen Stuart, Fernando Albericio, Ruurd Torensma, Carl G. Figdor

Antibody-mediated targeting of vaccine components to dendritic cells (DCs) enhances vaccine efficacy, but linking multiple antigens and immune modulators to a single antibody is limited. Slow-release PLGA particles conjugated to DC-specific antibodies could overcome this by delivering large antigen payloads and…

• PLGA
• Dendritic cells
• T cells
• Antigen presentation
• Nanoparticles
• Polymeric
• Vaccine delivery

14. Small Molecule End Group of Linear Polymer Determines Cell-Type Gene Delivery Efficacy

Joel Sunshine, Jordan J. Green, Kerry P. Mahon, Fan Yang, Ahmed A. Eltoukhy, David N. Nguyen, Robert Langer, Daniel G. Anderson

Viral vectors are efficient but face safety, manufacturing, and cargo-capacity limitations. Cationic polymers such as poly(β-amino ester)s (PBAEs) are promising non-viral alternatives, but their gene delivery efficacy varies across cell types. The study asked whether small-molecule end groups on a linear PBAE could…

• Polymeric
• Gene delivery
• Transfection
• Poly(beta-amino ester)
• DNA
• Viral vectors
• Dendritic cells

15. Co-delivery of cancer-associated antigen and Toll-like receptor 4 ligand in PLGA nanoparticles induces potent CD8⁺ T cell-mediated anti-tumor immunity

S. Hamdy, O. Molavi, Z. Ma, A. Haddadi, A. Alshamsan, Z. Gobti, S. Elhasi, J. Samuel, A. Lavasanifar

Most PLGA-based cancer vaccine studies used foreign model antigens such as ovalbumin (OVA), which are not subject to central/peripheral tolerance and can overestimate therapeutic efficacy. There is a need to evaluate PLGA vaccines against a realistic, clinically relevant self/tumor antigen (TRP2) and to overcome…

• T cells
• PLGA
• Nanoparticles
• Tumour microenvironment
• Polymeric
• Dendritic cells
• Nanocarriers

16. Polymer Nanoparticles for Immunotherapy from Encapsulated Tumor-Associated Antigens and Whole Tumor Cells

C. M. Solbrig, J. K. Saucier-Sawyer, V. Cody, W. M. Saltzman, D. J. Hanlon

Current antitumor vaccines are limited by the small number of defined tumour-associated antigens (TAAs) for most solid tumours and by poor delivery of soluble antigen to dendritic cells (DCs). Autologous whole-tumour lysates contain the full antigenic repertoire, but soluble lysates are unstable and poorly…

• Nanoparticles
• Polymeric
• T cells
• PLGA
• Dendritic cells
• Antigen presentation
• Nanocarriers

17. Controlled release of PEI/DNA complexes from mannose-bearing chitosan microspheres as a potent delivery system to enhance immune response to HBV DNA vaccine

Xianfeng Zhou, Bin Liu, Xianghui Yu, Xiao Zha, Xizhen Zhang, Yu Chen, Xueyun Wang, Yinghua Jin, Yongge Wu, Yue Chen, Yaming Shan, Yan Chen, Junqiu Liu, Wei Kong, Jiacong Shen

DNA vaccines can induce antibody and CTL responses, but clinical translation is limited by weak potency and the need for high or repeated doses. The study addresses this by targeting DNA to antigen-presenting cells (APCs) and improving endosomal/lysosomal release, using mannose-bearing chitosan microspheres loaded…

• DNA
• Chitosan
• Polyethylenimine
• Controlled release
• Transfection
• Dendritic cells
• Macrophages

18. Prophylactic anti-tumor effects in a B cell lymphoma model with DNA vaccines delivered on polyethylenimine (PEI) functionalized PLGA microparticles

DNA vaccines are limited by inefficient delivery to antigen-presenting cells (APCs) and lack of adjuvant effect, especially for weakly immunogenic self/tumor antigens. The study addresses this by using cationic PEI-functionalised PLGA microparticles to enhance APC activation and protective anti-tumour immunity…

• Polyethylenimine
• DNA
• PLGA
• Polymeric
• Dendritic cells
• Biodistribution
• Nanocarriers