Temperature-Feedback Nanoplatform for NIR-II Penta-Modal Imaging-Guided Synergistic Photothermal Therapy and CAR-NK Immunotherapy of Lung Cancer

NIR-II AIEgen with high photothermal efficiency for mild PTT: Optimized natural killer cell spatial distribution for boosted immune response

Organic photothermal agents (PTAs) with high photothermal conversion efficiency (PCE) and biocompatibility are ideal for mild photothermal therapy (PTT), which can selectively eliminate tumor cells and elicit an active immune response. However, the challenge lies in developing PTAs with high PCE, and the impact of PTT-induced temperature gradients on the cytolytic potential of natural killer (NK) cells against tumor cells has yet been investigated. Herein a novel NIR-II aggregation-induced emission (AIE) molecule named C12T-BBT is proposed by conjugating an electron donor TPA with a strong electron acceptor BBT, using a long alkyl chain (C12) substituted thiophene as π-bridge. By doing this, C12T-BBT has a relative planar structure to ensure a high extinction coefficient, while the long alkyl chain restricts the π-π interaction and provides more room for molecular motion in excited state. Together, these design strategies assure C12T-BBT with a high PCE of 84.7 %. In vivo experiments exhibit favorable NIR-II imaging and tumor elimination using water-soluble cRGD@C12T-BBT nanoparticles. The application of mild PTT results in an effective induction of NK cell response in terms of shortening its distance with tumor cells from 25.6 μm to 10.6 μm, characterized using a machine-learning based spatial analysis, thereby enhancing the efficacy of cancer therapy. Therefore, this work provides evidence for a novel combined anti-tumor strategy of aligning mild PTT and NK cell immunotherapy by illustrating crucial optimization of NK-tumor intercellular proximity in mild PTT.

Antitumor Research Based on Drug Delivery Carriers: Reversing the Polarization of Tumor-Associated Macrophages

The development of malignant tumors is a complex process that involves the tumor microenvironment (TME). An immunosuppressive TME presents significant challenges to current cancer therapies, serving as a key mechanism through which tumor cells evade immune detection and play a crucial role in tumor progression and metastasis. This impedes the optimal effectiveness of immunotherapeutic approaches, including cytokines, immune checkpoint inhibitors, and cancer vaccines. Tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs), a major component of tumor-infiltrating immune cells, exhibit dual functionalities: M1-like TAMs suppress tumorigenesis, while M2-like TAMs promote tumor growth and metastasis. Consequently, the development of various nanocarriers aimed at polarizing M2-like TAMs to M1-like phenotypes through distinct mechanisms has emerged as a promising therapeutic strategy to inhibit tumor immune escape and enhance antitumor responses. This Review covers the origin and types of TAMs, common pathways regulating macrophage polarization, the role of TAMs in tumor progression, and therapeutic strategies targeting TAMs, aiming to provide a comprehensive understanding and guidance for future research and clinical applications.

NIR-II upconversion nanomaterials for biomedical applications

As a nonlinear optical phenomenon, upconversion (UC) occurs when two or more low-energy excitation photons are sequentially absorbed and emitted. Upconversion nanomaterials exhibit superior photostability, non-invasiveness, a unique near-infrared anti-Stokes shift, and enhanced tissue penetration capability. However, general upconversion nanomaterials typically utilize visible light (400-700 nm) for excitation, leading to limited tissue penetration, background signal interference, limited excitation efficiency and imaging quality issues due to tissue absorption and scattering. The increasing use of upconversion nanomaterials in the near-infrared one-region (NIR-I) window (700-900 nm) offers benefits such as enhanced penetration into biological tissues, relatively improved imaging resolution, and lower spontaneous luminescence, although these materials are still susceptible to background signals, limiting their effectiveness in high signal-to-noise ratio imaging. This distinctive wavelength conversion endows upconversion nanomaterials in the NIR-II region with extraordinary potential for diverse applications. Biomedical research has primarily focused on biomedical imaging for disease diagnosis and treatment, as well as biomarker detection. Nonetheless, studies specifically targeting the NIR-II window remain limited. This paper summarizes the latest research progress on upconversion nanomaterials in the NIR-II region. It begins by introducing the preparation methods for these materials in the NIR-II, followed by their applications in imaging and biological contexts. Lastly, it discusses the primary challenges and future prospects of upconversion materials in NIR-II, aiming to promote their development.

Uncovering the Emerging Prospects of Lipid-based Nanoparticulate Vehicles in Lung Cancer Management: A Recent Perspective

Lung cancer, a leading cause of cancer-related deaths globally, is gaining research interest more than ever before. Owing to the burden of pathogenesis on the quality of life of patients and subsequently the healthcare system, research efforts focus on its management and amelioration. In an effort to improve bioavailability, enhance stability, minimize adverse effects and reduce the incidence of resistance, nanotechnological platforms have been harnessed for drug delivery and improving treatment outcomes. Lipid nanoparticles, in particular, offer an interesting clinical opportunity with respect to the delivery of a variety of agents. These include synthetic chemotherapeutic agents, immunotherapeutic molecules, as well as phytoconstituents with promising anticancer benefits. In addition to this, these systems are being studied for their usage in conjunction with other treatment strategies. However, their applications remain limited owing to a number of challenges, chiefly clinical translation. There is a need to address the scalability of such technologies, in order to improve accessibility. The authors aim to offer a comprehensive understanding of the evolution of lipid nanoparticles and their application in lung cancer, the interplay of disease pathways and their mechanism of action and the potential for delivery of a variety of agents. Additionally, a discussion with respect to results from preclinical studies has also been provided. The authors have also provided a well-rounded insight into the limitations and future perspectives. While the possibilities are endless, there is a need to undertake focused research to expedite clinical translation and offer avenues for wider applications in disease management.

Nanorobots mediated drug delivery for brain cancer active targeting and controllable therapeutics

Brain cancer pose significant life-threats by destructively invading normal brain tissues, causing dysneuria, disability and death, and its therapeutics is limited by underdosage and toxicity lying in conventional drug delivery that relied on passive delivery. The application of nanorobots-based drug delivery systems is an emerging field that holds great potential for brain cancer active targeting and controllable treatment. The ability of nanorobots to encapsulate, transport, and supply therapies directly to the lesion site through blood-brain barriers makes it possible to deliver drugs to hard-to-reach areas. In order to improve the efficiency of drug delivery and problems such as precision and sustained release, nanorobots are effectively realized by converting other forms of energy into propulsion and motion, which are considered as high-efficiency methods for drug delivery. In this article, we described recent advances in the treatment of brain cancer with nanorobots mainly from three aspects: firstly, the development history and characteristics of nanorobots are reviewed; secondly, recent research progress of nanorobots in brain cancer is comprehensively investigated, like the driving mode and mechanism of nanorobots are described; thirdly, the potential translation of nanorobotics for brain diseases is discussed and the challenges and opportunities for future research are outlined.

New strategies for lung cancer diagnosis and treatment: applications and advances in nanotechnology

Lung cancer leads in causing cancer-related mortality worldwide, continually posing a significant threat to human health. Current imaging diagnostic techniques, while offering non-invasive detection, suffer from issues such as insufficient sensitivity and the risks associated with radiation exposure. Pathological diagnosis, the gold standard for confirmation, also faces challenges like invasiveness and high costs. In treatment, surgery, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy are the main modalities, each encountering challenges related to precision, environmental adaptability, and side effects. Nanotechnology's advancement provides new solutions for the diagnosis and treatment of lung cancer, promising to enhance diagnostic accuracy and reduce side effects during treatment. This article introduces the main types of nanomaterials used in the field of lung cancer, offering a comprehensive overview of current research on the application of nanotechnology in early screening, diagnosis, treatment, and monitoring of lung cancer, and summarizing ongoing clinical research findings.

A novel anti-CD47 protein antibody and toll-like receptor agonist complex detects tumor surface CD-47 changes in early stage lung cancer by in vivo imaging

CD47, a cell surface protein known for inhibiting phagocytosis, plays a critical role in the tumor microenvironment (TME) and is a potential biomarker for cancer. However, directly applying αCD47, a hydrophilic macromolecular antibody that targets CD47, in vivo for cancer detection can have adverse effects on normal cells, cause systemic toxicities, and lead to resistance against anti-cancer therapies. In this study, we developed a novel complex incorporating aluminum-based metal-organic frameworks (Al-MOF) loaded with indocyanine green (ICG), αCD47, and resiquimod (R848), a hydrophobic small molecule Toll-like receptor 7/8 (TLR7/8) agonist. Upon activation with an infrared 808 nm laser, the nanocomposites exhibited photothermal effects that triggered the release of the loaded reagents, induced ROS production, and induced changes in the TME. This led to the polarization of immune-suppressive M2 macrophages towards an immune-stimulatory M1 phenotype, promoted dendritic cell (DC) maturation, and enabled mature DCs to facilitate antigen presentation, T-cell activation, and critical roles in tumor immunity. Furthermore, in vivo imaging successfully detected the specific binding of αCD47 with CD47 on tumor cells. Overall, the complex composed of αCD47 antibody and toll-like receptor agonist showed promising efficacy in both tumor diagnosis and therapy, providing a potential strategy for detecting early lung cancer and modulating the tumor microenvironment for improved treatment outcomes.

Aptamer-mediated therapeutic strategies provide a potential approach for cancer

The treatment of tumors still faces considerable challenges. While conventional treatments such as surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy provide some curative effects, their side effects and limitations highlight the importance of finding more precise treatment strategies. Aptamers have become an important target molecule in the field of drug delivery systems due to their good affinity and targeting, and they have gradually become an important link from basic research to clinical application. In this paper, we discussed the latest progress of aptamer-mediated nanodrugs, as well as aptamer-mediated photodynamic therapy, photothermal therapy, and immunotherapy strategies for tumor treatment, and explored the possibility of aptamer-mediated therapy for accurate tumor treatment. The purpose of this review is to provide novel insights for treating tumors with aptamer-mediated therapies by summarizing these innovative strategies, thereby ultimately enhancing the therapeutic efficacy for cancer patients.

Ultrasound-Based Micro-/Nanosystems for Biomedical Applications

Due to the intrinsic non-invasive nature, cost-effectiveness, high safety, and real-time capabilities, besides diagnostic imaging, ultrasound as a typical mechanical wave has been extensively developed as a physical tool for versatile biomedical applications. Especially, the prosperity of nanotechnology and nanomedicine invigorates the landscape of ultrasound-based medicine. The unprecedented surge in research enthusiasm and dedicated efforts have led to a mass of multifunctional micro-/nanosystems being applied in ultrasound biomedicine, facilitating precise diagnosis, effective treatment, and personalized theranostics. The effective deployment of versatile ultrasound-based micro-/nanosystems in biomedical applications is rooted in a profound understanding of the relationship among composition, structure, property, bioactivity, application, and performance. In this comprehensive review, we elaborate on the general principles regarding the design, synthesis, functionalization, and optimization of ultrasound-based micro-/nanosystems for abundant biomedical applications. In particular, recent advancements in ultrasound-based micro-/nanosystems for diagnostic imaging are meticulously summarized. Furthermore, we systematically elucidate state-of-the-art studies concerning recent progress in ultrasound-based micro-/nanosystems for therapeutic applications targeting various pathological abnormalities including cancer, bacterial infection, brain diseases, cardiovascular diseases, and metabolic diseases. Finally, we conclude and provide an outlook on this research field with an in-depth discussion of the challenges faced and future developments for further extensive clinical translation and application.

Advances and perspectives in phototherapy-based combination therapy for cancer treatment

Phototherapy, including photothermal therapy (PTT) and photodynamic therapy (PDT), has the advantages of spatiotemporal selectivity, non-invasiveness, and negligible drug resistance. Phototherapy has been approved for treating superficial epidermal tumors. However, its therapeutic efficacy is limited by the hypoxic tumor microenvironment and the highly expressed heat shock protein. Moreover, poor tissue penetration and focused irradiation laser region in phototherapy make treating deep tissues and metastatic tumors challenging. Combination therapy strategies, which integrate the advantages of each treatment and overcome their disadvantages, can significantly improve the therapeutic efficacy. Recently, many combination therapy strategies have been reported. Our study summarizes the strategies used for combining phototherapy with other cancer treatments such as chemotherapy, immunotherapy, sonodynamic therapy, gas therapy, starvation therapy, and chemodynamic therapy. Some research cases were selected to analyze the combination therapy effect, delivery platform feature, and synergetic anticancer mechanisms. Moreover, additional research cases are summarized in the tables. This review provides strong evidence that phototherapy-based combination strategies can enhance the anticancer effect compared with phototherapy alone. Additionally, the challenges and future perspectives associated with these combinational therapies are discussed.

Application of Photoactive Compounds in Cancer Theranostics: Review on Recent Trends from Photoactive Chemistry to Artificial Intelligence

According to the World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), the number of cancer cases and deaths worldwide is predicted to nearly double by 2030, reaching 21.7 million cases and 13 million fatalities. The increase in cancer mortality is due to limitations in the diagnosis and treatment options that are currently available. The close relationship between diagnostics and medicine has made it possible for cancer patients to receive precise diagnoses and individualized care. This article discusses newly developed compounds with potential for photodynamic therapy and diagnostic applications, as well as those already in use. In addition, it discusses the use of artificial intelligence in the analysis of diagnostic images obtained using, among other things, theranostic agents.

Chimeric antigen receptor-immune cells against solid tumors: Structures, mechanisms, recent advances, and future developments

ABSTRACT

The advent of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T cell immunotherapies has led to breakthroughs in the treatment of hematological malignancies. However, their success in treating solid tumors has been limited. CAR-natural killer (NK) cells have several advantages over CAR-T cells because NK cells can be made from pre-existing cell lines or allogeneic NK cells with a mismatched major histocompatibility complex (MHC), which means they are more likely to become an "off-the-shelf" product. Moreover, they can kill cancer cells via CAR-dependent/independent pathways and have limited toxicity. Macrophages are the most malleable immune cells in the body. These cells can efficiently infiltrate into tumors and are present in large numbers in tumor microenvironments (TMEs). Importantly, CAR-macrophages (CAR-Ms) have recently yielded exciting preclinical results in several solid tumors. Nevertheless, CAR-T, CAR-NK, and CAR-M all have their own advantages and limitations. In this review, we systematically discuss the current status, progress, and the major hurdles of CAR-T cells, CAR-NK cells, and CAR-M as they relate to five aspects: CAR structure, therapeutic mechanisms, the latest research progress, current challenges and solutions, and comparison according to the existing research in order to provide a reasonable option for treating solid tumors in the future.

Aggregation-enhanced photothermal therapy of organic dyes

Photothermal therapy (PTT) represents a groundbreaking approach to targeted disease treatment by harnessing the conversion of light into heat. The efficacy of PTT heavily relies on the capabilities of photothermal agents (PTAs). Among PTAs, those based on organic dyes exhibit notable characteristics such as adjustable light absorption wavelengths, high extinction coefficients, and high compatibility in biological systems. However, a challenge associated with organic dye-based PTAs lies in their efficiency in converting light into heat while maintaining stability. Manipulating dye aggregation is a key aspect in modulating non-radiative decay pathways, aiming to augment heat generation. This review delves into various strategies aimed at improving photothermal performance through constructing aggregation. These strategies including protecting dyes from photodegradation, inhibiting non-photothermal pathways, maintaining space within molecular aggregates, and introducing intermolecular photophysical processes. Overall, this review highlights the precision-driven assembly of organic dyes as a promising frontier in enhancing PTT-related applications. This article is categorized under: Therapeutic Approaches and Drug Discovery > Emerging Technologies Therapeutic Approaches and Drug Discovery > Nanomedicine for Oncologic Disease Diagnostic Tools > In Vivo Nanodiagnostics and Imaging.

Antitumor activity of genetically engineered NK-cells in non-hematological solid tumor: a comprehensive review

Recent advancements in genetic engineering have made it possible to modify Natural Killer (NK) cells to enhance their ability to fight against various cancers, including solid tumors. This comprehensive overview discusses the current status of genetically engineered chimeric antigen receptor NK-cell therapies and their potential for treating solid tumors. We explore the inherent characteristics of NK cells and their role in immune regulation and tumor surveillance. Moreover, we examine the strategies used to genetically engineer NK cells in terms of efficacy, safety profile, and potential clinical applications. Our investigation suggests CAR-NK cells can effectively target and regress non-hematological malignancies, demonstrating enhanced antitumor efficacy. This implies excellent promise for treating tumors using genetically modified NK cells. Notably, NK cells exhibit low graft versus host disease (GvHD) potential and rarely induce significant toxicities, making them an ideal platform for CAR engineering. The adoptive transfer of allogeneic NK cells into patients further emphasizes the versatility of NK cells for various applications. We also address challenges and limitations associated with the clinical translation of genetically engineered NK-cell therapies, such as off-target effects, immune escape mechanisms, and manufacturing scalability. We provide strategies to overcome these obstacles through combination therapies and delivery optimization. Overall, we believe this review contributes to advancing NK-cell-based immunotherapy as a promising approach for cancer treatment by elucidating the underlying mechanisms, evaluating preclinical and clinical evidence, and addressing remaining challenges.

CAR-NK cells in combination therapy against cancer: A potential paradigm

Various preclinical and a limited number of clinical studies of CAR-NK cells have shown promising results: efficient elimination of target cells without side effects similar to CAR-T therapy. However, the homing and infiltration abilities of CAR-NK cells are poor due to the inhibitory tumor microenvironment. From the perspective of clinical treatment strategies, combined with the biological and tumor microenvironment characteristics of NK cells, CAR-NK combination therapy strategies with anti-PD-1/PD-L1, radiotherapy and chemotherapy, kinase inhibitors, proteasome inhibitors, STING agonist, oncolytic virus, photothermal therapy, can greatly promote the proliferation, migration and cytotoxicity of the NK cells. In this review, we will summarize the targets selection, structure constructions and combinational therapies of CAR-NK cells for tumors to provide feasible combination strategies for overcoming the inhibitory tumor microenvironment and improving the efficacy of CAR-NK cells.

An Oral Nanomedicine Elicits In Situ Vaccination Effect against Colorectal Cancer

Oral administration is the most preferred approach for treating colon diseases, and in situ vaccination has emerged as a promising cancer therapeutic strategy. However, the lack of effective drug delivery platforms hampered the application of in situ vaccination strategy in oral treatment of colorectal cancer (CRC). Here, we construct an oral core-shell nanomedicine by preparing a silk fibroin-based dual sonosensitizer (chlorin e6, Ce6)- and immunoadjuvant (imiquimod, R837)-loaded nanoparticle as the core, with its surface coated with plant-extracted lipids and pluronic F127 (p127). The resultant nanomedicines (Ce6/R837@Lp127NPs) maintain stability during their passage through the gastrointestinal tract and exert improved locomotor activities under ultrasound irradiation, achieving efficient colonic mucus infiltration and specific tumor penetration. Thereafter, Ce6/R837@Lp127NPs induce immunogenic death of colorectal tumor cells by sonodynamic treatment, and the generated neoantigens in the presence of R837 serve as a potent in situ vaccine. By integrating with immune checkpoint blockades, the combined treatment modality inhibits orthotopic tumors, eradicates distant tumors, and modulates intestinal microbiota. As the first oral in situ vaccination, this work spotlights a robust oral nanoplatform for producing a personalized vaccine against CRC.

Advances and challenges in the treatment of lung cancer

Lung cancer accounts for a relatively high proportion of malignant tumors. As the most prevalent type of lung cancer, non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is characterized by high morbidity and mortality. Presently, the arsenal of treatment strategies encompasses surgical resection, chemotherapy, targeted therapy and radiotherapy. However, despite these options, the prognosis remains distressingly poor with a low 5-year survival rate. Therefore, it is urgent to pursue a paradigm shift in treatment methodologies. In recent years, the advent of sophisticated biotechnologies and interdisciplinary integration has provided innovative approaches for the treatment of lung cancer. This article reviews the cutting-edge developments in the nano drug delivery system, molecular targeted treatment system, photothermal treatment strategy, and immunotherapy for lung cancer. Overall, by systematically summarizing and critically analyzing the latest progress and current challenges in these treatment strategies of lung cancer, we aim to provide a theoretical basis for the development of novel drugs for lung cancer treatment, and thus improve the therapeutic outcomes for lung cancer patients.

Multifunctional Nanoplatform for NIR-II Imaging-Guided Synergistic Oncotherapy

Tumors are a major public health issue of concern to humans, seriously threatening the safety of people's lives and property. With the increasing demand for early and accurate diagnosis and efficient treatment of tumors, noninvasive optical imaging (including fluorescence imaging and photoacoustic imaging) and tumor synergistic therapies (phototherapy synergistic with chemotherapy, phototherapy synergistic with immunotherapy, etc.) have received increasing attention. In particular, light in the near-infrared second region (NIR-II) has triggered great research interest due to its penetration depth, minimal tissue autofluorescence, and reduced tissue absorption and scattering. Nanomaterials with many advantages, such as high brightness, great photostability, tunable photophysical properties, and excellent biosafety offer unlimited possibilities and are being investigated for NIR-II tumor imaging-guided synergistic oncotherapy. In recent years, many researchers have tried various approaches to investigate nanomaterials, including gold nanomaterials, two-dimensional materials, metal sulfide oxides, polymers, carbon nanomaterials, NIR-II dyes, and other nanomaterials for tumor diagnostic and therapeutic integrated nanoplatform construction. In this paper, the application of multifunctional nanomaterials in tumor NIR-II imaging and collaborative therapy in the past three years is briefly reviewed, and the current research status is summarized and prospected, with a view to contributing to future tumor therapy.

Advanced Materials and Delivery Systems for Enhancement of Chimeric Antigen Receptor Cells

Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) cell therapy is a great success and breakthrough in immunotherapy. However, there are still lots of barriers to its wide use in clinical, including long time consumption, high cost, and failure against solid tumors. For these challenges, researches are deplored to explore CAR cells to more appliable products in clinical. This minireview focuses on the advanced non-viral materials for CAR-T transfection ex vivo with better performance, delivery systems combined with other therapy for enhancement of CAR-T therapy in solid tumors. In addition, the targeted delivery platform for CAR cells in vivo generation as a breakthrough technology as its low cost and convenience. In the end, the prospective direction and future of CAR cell therapy are discussed.

Immunotherapy: cancer immunotherapy and its combination with nanomaterials and other therapies

Immunotherapy is a new type of tumor treatment after surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy, and can be used to manage and destroy tumor cells through activating or strengthening the immune response. Immunotherapy has the benefits of a low recurrence rate and high specificity compared to traditional treatment methods. Immunotherapy has developed rapidly in recent years and has become a research hotspot. Currently, chimeric antigen receptor T-cell immunotherapy and immune checkpoint inhibitors are the most effective tumor immunotherapies in clinical practice. While tumor immunotherapy brings hope to patients, it also faces some challenges and still requires continuous research and progress. Combination therapy is the future direction of anti-tumor treatment. In this review, the main focus is on an overview of the research progress of immune checkpoint inhibitors, cellular therapies, tumor vaccines, small molecule inhibitors and oncolytic virotherapy in tumor treatment, as well as the combination of immunotherapy with other treatments.

Conjugated Polymeric Materials in Biological Imaging and Cancer Therapy

Conjugated polymers (CPs) have attracted much attention in the fields of chemistry, medicine, life science, and material science. Researchers have carried out a series of innovative researches and have made significant research progress regarding the unique photochemical and photophysical properties of CPs, expanding the application range of polymers. CPs are polymers formed by the conjugation of multiple repeating light-emitting units. Through precise control of their structure, functional molecules with different properties can be obtained. Fluorescence probes with different absorption and emission wavelengths can be obtained by changing the main chain structure. By modifying the side chain structure with water-soluble groups or selective recognition molecules, electrostatic interaction or specific binding with specific targets can be achieved; subsequently, the purpose of selective recognition can be achieved. This article reviews the research work of CPs in cell imaging, tumor diagnosis, and treatment in recent years, summarizes the latest progress in the application of CPs in imaging, tumor diagnosis, and treatment, and discusses the future development direction of CPs in cell imaging, tumor diagnosis, and treatment.

Artificial Intelligence-Aided Optical Imaging for Cancer Theranostics

The use of artificial intelligence (AI) to assist biomedical imaging have demonstrated its high accuracy and high efficiency in medical decision-making for individualized cancer medicine. In particular, optical imaging methods are able to visualize both the structural and functional information of tumors tissues with high contrast, low cost, and noninvasive property. However, no systematic work has been performed to inspect the recent advances on AI-aided optical imaging for cancer theranostics. In this review, we demonstrated how AI can guide optical imaging methods to improve the accuracy on tumor detection, automated analysis and prediction of its histopathological section, its monitoring during treatment, and its prognosis by using computer vision, deep learning and natural language processing. By contrast, the optical imaging techniques involved mainly consisted of various tomography and microscopy imaging methods such as optical endoscopy imaging, optical coherence tomography, photoacoustic imaging, diffuse optical tomography, optical microscopy imaging, Raman imaging, and fluorescent imaging. Meanwhile, existing problems, possible challenges and future prospects for AI-aided optical imaging protocol for cancer theranostics were also discussed. It is expected that the present work can open a new avenue for precision oncology by using AI and optical imaging tools.

Visualization of Phototherapy Evolution by Optical Imaging

Phototherapy, including photodynamic therapy (PDT) and photothermal therapy (PTT), is a non-invasive and effective approach used for cancer treatment, in which phototherapeutic agents are irradiated with an appropriate light source to produce cytotoxic reactive oxygen species (ROS) or heat to ablate cancer cells. Unfortunately, traditional phototherapy lacks a facile imaging method to monitor the therapeutic process and efficiency in real time, usually leading to severe side effects due to high levels of ROS and hyperthermia. To realize precise cancer treatment methods, it is highly desired to develop phototherapeutic agents possessing an imaging ability to evaluate the therapeutic process and efficacy in real time during cancer phototherapy. Recently, a series of self-reporting phototherapeutic agents were reported to monitor PDT and PTT processes by combining optical imaging technologies with phototherapy. Due to the real-time feedback provided by optical imaging technology, therapeutic responses or dynamic changes in the tumor microenvironment could be evaluated in a timely manner, thereby achieving personalized precision treatment and minimizing toxic side effects. In this review, we focus on the advances in the development of self-reporting phototherapeutic agents for a cancer phototherapy evaluation based on optical imaging technology to realize precision cancer treatments. Additionally, we propose the current challenges and future directions of self-reporting agents for precision medicine.

Metal Nanoparticles as Novel Agents for Lung Cancer Diagnosis and Therapy

Lung cancer is one of the most common malignancies worldwide and contributes to most cancer-related morbidity and mortality cases. During the past decades, the rapid development of nanotechnology has provided opportunities and challenges for lung cancer diagnosis and therapeutics. As one of the most extensively studied nanostructures, metal nanoparticles obtain higher satisfaction in biomedical applications associated with lung cancer. Metal nanoparticles have enhanced almost all major imaging strategies and proved great potential as sensor for detecting cancer-specific biomarkers. Moreover, metal nanoparticles could also improve therapeutic efficiency via better drug delivery, improved radiotherapy, enhanced gene silencing, and facilitated photo-driven treatment. Herein, the recently advanced metal nanoparticles applied in lung cancer therapy and diagnosis are summarized. Future perspective on the direction of metal-based nanomedicine is also discussed. Stimulating more research interests to promote the development of metal nanoparticles in lung cancer is devoted.

Recent Progress in NIR-II Fluorescence Imaging-guided Drug Delivery for Cancer Theranostics

Fluorescence imaging in the second near-infrared window (NIR-II) has become a prevalent choice owing to its appealing advantages like deep penetration depth, low autofluorescence, decent spatiotemporal resolution, and a high signal-to-background ratio. This would expedite the innovation of NIR-II imaging-guided drug delivery (IGDD) paradigms for the improvement of the prognosis of patients with tumors. This work systematically reviews the recent progress of such NIR-II IGDD-mediated cancer therapeutics and collectively brings its essence to the readers. Special care has been taken to assess their performances based on their design approach, such as enhancing their drug loading and triggering release, designing intrinsic and extrinsic fluorophores, and/ or overcoming biological barriers. Besides, the state-of-the-art NIR-II IGDD platforms for different therapies like chemo-, photodynamic, photothermal, chemodynamic, immuno-, ion channel, gas-therapies, and multiple functions such as stimulus-responsive imaging and therapy, and monitoring of drug release and therapeutic response, have been updated. In addition, for boosting theranostic outcomes and clinical translation, the innovation directions of NIR-II IGDD platforms are summarized, including renal-clearable, biodegradable, sub-cellular targeting, and/or afterglow, chemiluminescence, X-ray excitable NIR-IGDD, and even cell therapy. This review will propel new directions for safe and efficient NIR-II fluorescence-mediated anticancer drug delivery.

Nanoparticles advanced from preclinical studies to clinical trials for lung cancer therapy

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer mortality. As a heterogeneous disease, it has different subtypes and various treatment modalities. In addition to conventional surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy, targeted therapy and immunotherapy have also been applied in the clinics. However, drug resistance and systemic toxicity still cannot be avoided. Based on the unique properties of nanoparticles, it provides a new idea for lung cancer therapy, especially for targeted immunotherapy. When nanoparticles are used as carriers of drugs with special physical properties, the nanodrug delivery system ensures the accuracy of targeting and the stability of drugs while increasing the permeability and the aggregation of drugs in tumor tissues, showing good anti-tumor effects. This review introduces the properties of various nanoparticles including polymer nanoparticles, liposome nanoparticles, quantum dots, dendrimers, and gold nanoparticles and their applications in tumor tissues. In addition, the specific application of nanoparticle-based drug delivery for lung cancer therapy in preclinical studies and clinical trials is discussed.

Theranostic applications of selenium nanomedicines against lung cancer

The incidence and mortality rates of lung cancer are among the highest in the world. Traditional treatment methods include surgery, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy. Although rapid progress has been achieved in the past decade, treatment limitations remain. It is therefore imperative to identify safer and more effective therapeutic methods, and research is currently being conducted to identify more efficient and less harmful drugs. In recent years, the discovery of antitumor drugs based on the essential trace element selenium (Se) has provided good prospects for lung cancer treatments. In particular, compared to inorganic Se (Inorg-Se) and organic Se (Org-Se), Se nanomedicine (Se nanoparticles; SeNPs) shows much higher bioavailability and antioxidant activity and lower toxicity. SeNPs can also be used as a drug delivery carrier to better regulate protein and DNA biosynthesis and protein kinase C activity, thus playing a role in inhibiting cancer cell proliferation. SeNPs can also effectively activate antigen-presenting cells to stimulate cell immunity, exert regulatory effects on innate and regulatory immunity, and enhance lung cancer immunotherapy. This review summarizes the application of Se-based species and materials in lung cancer diagnosis, including fluorescence, MR, CT, photoacoustic imaging and other diagnostic methods, as well as treatments, including direct killing, radiosensitization, chemotherapeutic sensitization, photothermodynamics, and enhanced immunotherapy. In addition, the application prospects and challenges of Se-based drugs in lung cancer are examined, as well as their forecasted future clinical applications and sustainable development.

Knowledge domain and dynamic patterns in multimodal molecular imaging from 2012 to 2021: A visual bibliometric analysis

Multimodal molecular imaging technologies have been widely used to optimize medical research and clinical practice. Bibliometric analysis was performed to identify global research trends, hot spots, and scientific frontiers of multimodal molecular imaging technology from 2012 to 2021. The articles and reviews related to multimodal molecular imaging were retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection. A bibliometric study was performed using CiteSpace and VOSviewer. A total of 4169 articles and reviews from 2012 to 2021 were analyzed. An increasing trend in the number of articles on multimodal molecular imaging technology was observed. These publications mainly come from 417 institutions in 92 countries, led by the USA and China. K. Bailey Freund published the most papers amongst the publications, while R.F. Spaide had the most co-citations. A dual map overlay of the literature shows that most publications were specialized in physics/materials/chemistry, and molecular/biology/immunology. Synergistic therapy in cancer, advanced nanotechnology, and multimodal imaging in ophthalmology are new trends and developing areas of interest. A global bibliometric and visualization analysis was used to comprehensively review the published research related to multimodal molecular imaging. This study may help in understanding the dynamic patterns of multimodal molecular imaging technology research and point out the developing areas of this field.

Advances in Single-component inorganic nanostructures for photoacoustic imaging guided photothermal therapy

Phototheranostic based on photothermal therapy (PTT) and photoacoustic imaging (PAI), as one of avant-garde medical techniques, have sparked growing attention because it allows noninvasive, deeply penetrative, and highly selective and effective therapy. Among a variety of phototheranostic nanoagents, single-component inorganic nanostructures are found to be novel and attractive PAI and PTT combined nanotheranostic agents and received tremendous attention, which not only exhibit structural controllability, high tunability in physiochemical properties, size-dependent optical properties, high reproducibility, simple composition, easy functionalization, and simple synthesis process, but also can be endowed with multiple therapeutic and imaging functions, realizing the superior therapy result along with bringing less foreign materials into body, reducing systemic side effects and improving the bioavailability. In this review, according to their synthetic components, conventional single-component inorganic nanostructures are divided into metallic nanostructures, metal dichalcogenides, metal oxides, carbon based nanostructures, upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs), metal organic frameworks (MOFs), MXenes, graphdiyne and other nanostructures. On the basis of this category, their detailed applications in PAI guide PTT of tumor treatment are systematically reviewed, including synthesis strategies, corresponding performances, and cancer diagnosis and therapeutic efficacy. Before these, the factors to influence on photothermal effect and the principle of in vivo PAI are briefly presented. Finally, we also comprehensively and thoroughly discussed the limitation, potential barriers, future perspectives for research and clinical translation of this single-component inorganic nanoagent in biomedical therapeutics.

Application of aptamer functionalized nanomaterials in targeting therapeutics of typical tumors

Cancer is a major cause of human death all over the world. Traditional cancer treatments include surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, immunotherapy, and hormone therapy. Although these conventional treatment methods improve the overall survival rate, there are some problems, such as easy recurrence, poor treatment, and great side effects. Targeted therapy of tumors is a hot research topic at present. Nanomaterials are essential carriers of targeted drug delivery, and nucleic acid aptamers have become one of the most important targets for targeted tumor therapy because of their high stability, high affinity, and high selectivity. At present, aptamer-functionalized nanomaterials (AFNs), which combine the unique selective recognition characteristics of aptamers with the high-loading performance of nanomaterials, have been widely studied in the field of targeted tumor therapy. Based on the reported application of AFNs in the biomedical field, we introduce the characteristics of aptamer and nanomaterials, and the advantages of AFNs first. Then introduce the conventional treatment methods for glioma, oral cancer, lung cancer, breast cancer, liver cancer, colon cancer, pancreatic cancer, ovarian cancer, and prostate cancer, and the application of AFNs in targeted therapy of these tumors. Finally, we discuss the progress and challenges of AFNs in this field.

A platinum-ruthenium hybrid prodrug with multi-enzymatic activities for chemo-catalytic therapy of hypoxic tumors

Regulation of tumor hypoxia and redox homeostasis is a promising strategy for cancer therapy. Nanocatalytic medicine has played more and more important roles in this field because it can cleverly convert the efficiency and selectivity of catalysis into high therapeutic efficiency. Herein, we developed a platinum(iv)-ruthenium hybrid prodrug, named as Pt-Ru, for efficient chemo-catalytic synergistic therapy of hypoxic tumors. The ruthenium hybridization endowed the Pt(iv) prodrug with multi-enzyme catalytic activity, that is, mimicking catalase (CAT) to generate O2 in situ, mimicking peroxidase (POD) to produce reactive oxygen species, and mimicking glutathione peroxidase (GPx) to deplete GSH, thus effectively overcoming tumor hypoxia and cisplatin resistance. As a result, Pt-Ru treatment led to a superior anticancer efficacy to cisplatin both in vitro and in vivo. This work suggested redox homeostasis regulation as a tantalizing angle for developing the next generation of platinum drugs.

Magneto-Induced Hyperthermia and Temperature Detection in Single Iron Oxide Core-Silica/Tb3+/Eu3+(Acac) Shell Nano-Objects

Multifunctional nano-objects containing a magnetic heater and a temperature emissive sensor in the same nanoparticle have recently emerged as promising tools towards personalized nanomedicine permitting hyperthermia-assisted treatment under local temperature control. However, a fine control of nano-systems' morphology permitting the synthesis of a single magnetic core with controlled position of the sensor presents a main challenge. We report here the design of new iron oxide core-silica shell nano-objects containing luminescent Tb³⁺/Eu³⁺-(acetylacetonate) moieties covalently anchored to the silica surface, which act as a promising heater/thermometer system. They present a single magnetic core and a controlled thickness of the silica shell, permitting a uniform spatial distribution of the emissive nanothermometer relative to the heat source. These nanoparticles exhibit the Tb³⁺ and Eu³⁺ characteristic emissions and suitable magnetic properties that make them efficient as a nanoheater with a Ln³⁺-based emissive self-referencing temperature sensor covalently coupled to it. Heating capacity under an alternating current magnetic field was demonstrated by thermal imaging. This system offers a new strategy permitting a rapid heating of a solution under an applied magnetic field and a local self-referencing temperature sensing with excellent thermal sensitivity (1.64%·K^-1 (at 40 °C)) in the range 25-70 °C, good photostability, and reproducibility after several heating cycles.

Nanocomposites based on lanthanide-doped upconversion nanoparticles: diverse designs and applications

Lanthanide-doped upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) have aroused extraordinary interest due to the unique physical and chemical properties. Combining UCNPs with other functional materials to construct nanocomposites and achieve synergistic effect abound recently, and the resulting nanocomposites have shown great potentials in various fields based on the specific design and components. This review presents a summary of diverse designs and synthesis strategies of UCNPs-based nanocomposites, including self-assembly, in-situ growth and epitaxial growth, as well as the emerging applications in bioimaging, cancer treatments, anti-counterfeiting, and photocatalytic fields. We then discuss the challenges, opportunities, and development tendency for developing UCNPs-based nanocomposites.

Gold-seaurchin based immunomodulator enabling photothermal intervention and αCD16 transfection to boost NK cell adoptive immunotherapy

Despite huge potentials of NK cells in adoptive cell therapy (ACT), formidable physical barriers of the tumor tissue and deficiency of recognizing signals on tumor cells severely prevent NK cell infiltrating, activating and killing performances. Herein, a nano-immunomodulator AuNSP@αCD16 (CD16 antibody encoding plasmid) is explored to remodel the tumor microenvironment (TME) for improving the antitumor effects of adoptive NK cells. The as-prepared AuNSP, with a seaurchin-like gold core and a cationic polymer shell, exhibited a high gene transfection efficiency and a stable NIR-II photothermal capacity. The AuNSP could trigger mild photothermal intervention to partly destroy tumors and collapse the dense physical barriers, making a permeable TME for NK cell infiltration. What's more, the AuNSP could achieve αCD16 gene transfection to modify tumor surface with CD16 antibody, marking a unique structure on tumor cells for NK cell recognition and then lead to strong NK cell activation by CD16-mediated antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC). As expected, the designed AuNSP@αCD16 induced an immune-favorable TME for NK cell performing killing functions against solid tumors, increasing the release of cytolytic granules and proinflammatory cytokines, which ultimately achieved a robustly boosted NK cell-based immunotherapy. Hence, the AuNSP@αCD16-mediated TME reconstituting strategy provides a substantial perspective for NK-based ACT on solid tumors. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: In adoptive cell therapy (ACT), natural killer (NK) cells exhibit greater off-the-shelf utility and improved safety comparing with T cells, but the efficacy of NK cell therapy is severely compromised by formidable physical barriers of the tumor tissue and deficiency of NK cell recognizing signals on tumor cells. Herein, a nano-immunomodulator AuNSP@αCD16, with the abilities of inducing mild photothermal intervention and modifying the tumor cell surface with αCD16, is explored to reconstruct an infiltration-favorable and activation-facilitating tumor microenvironment for NK cells to perform killing functions. Such a simple and safe strategy is believed as a very promising candidate for future NK-based ACT.

Recent Advances in Engineering Nanomedicines for Second Near-Infrared Photothermal-Combinational Immunotherapy

Immunotherapy has emerged as one of the major strategies for cancer treatment. Unlike conventional therapeutic methods, immunotherapy can treat both primary and distant metastatic tumors through triggering systematic antitumor immune responses and can even prevent tumor recurrence after causing the formation of immune memory. However, immunotherapy still has the issues of low patient response rates and severe immune-related adverse events in clinical practices. In this regard, the combination of nanomedicine-mediated therapy with immunotherapy can modulate a tumor immunosuppressive microenvironment and thus amplify antitumor immunity. In particular, second near-infrared (NIR-II) photothermal therapy (PTT), which utilizes light conversions to generate heat for killing cancer cells, has shown unique advantages in combining with immunotherapy. In this review, the recent progress of engineering nanomedicines for NIR-II PTT combinational immunotherapy is summarized. The role of nanomedicine-mediated NIR-II PTT in inducing immunogenic cell death and reprogramming the tumor immunosuppressive microenvironment for facilitating immunotherapy are highlighted. The development of NIR-II-absorbing organic and inorganic nonmetal and inorganic metal nanomedicines for the NIR-II PTT combinational immunotherapy of cancer is also introduced in detail. Lastly, the current challenges and future perspectives of these nanomedicines for combinational immunotherapy are proposed.

Recent advances of engineered and artificial drug delivery system towards solid tumor based on immune cells

Precise drug delivery in cancer treatment is a long-standing concern of modern medicine. Compared with traditional molecular medicines and nano-medicines, emerging cell-based biomimetic delivery strategies display numerous merits, including successive biological functions, innate biocompatibility and superior security since they originate from living organisms, providing a very promising approach. Among them, immune cells receive increasing attention because of their inherent ability in tumor resistance, pathogen elimination, and other significant physiological functions. Herein, we investigated the recent advances on immune cell-based high efficient delivery and therapeutic strategies in solid tumor treatment, mainly focus on T cells, NK cells and macrophages, which have been used as drug cargos directly or provided membrane/exosomes as nanoscale drug delivery systems. We also discuss the further potential applications and perspective of this innovative strategy, as well as the predictable challenges in forward exploration in this emerging area.