Cancer immunotherapy: T cells and neutrophils working together to attack cancers

Stimuli-responsive polymer-dasatinib prodrug to reprogram cancer-associated fibroblasts for boosted immunotherapy

The barriers from cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) have diminished the clinical efficacy of immunotherapy for triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). The obstacles from CAFs often result in poor drug penetration, constrained cytotoxic T lymphocyte infiltration, and an immunosuppressive microenvironment. Herein, chondroitin sulfate (CS) was engineered to conjugate dasatinib (DAS), a tyrosine kinase inhibitor, via the cathepsin B (CTSB)-responsive GFLG linker to produce CS-GFLG-DAS (CGD), which could be employed to reverse the CAF phenotype and regulate the biosynthesis of extracellular matrix (ECM), thus enhancing the efficacy of immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) therapy. Upon reaching the tumor site, DAS released from CGD in response to overexpressed CTSB in the tumor microenvironment could transform CAFs into a quiescent state instead of killing them to prevent CAFs from producing abundant ECM, thereby promoting deep penetration of CGD to effectively kill tumor cells. In addition, ECM remodeling facilitated tumor infiltration of cytotoxic T lymphocytes, synergistically enhancing the anti-PD-1 efficacy in the 4T1 tumor-bearing mice. In summary, this prodrug enhanced deep drug penetration and therapeutic sensitivity of anti-PD-1 by regulating CAFs, providing new insights into optimizing immunotherapy in treating fibrotic tumors via nanomedicine.

Tumor signal amplification and immune decoy strategy using bacterial membrane-coated nanoparticles for immunotherapy

In cancer therapy, tumor cells can diminish their signals through mechanisms such as immune escape, thereby evading recognition and elimination by the immune system. Providing tumor signals to enhance the recognition of tumor sites is considered a crucial approach in cancer treatment. Inspired by the decoy-induced directed feeding of fish, we propose a biomimetic nanoparticle system for tumor signal amplification. This biomimetic system comprises magnetically responsive nanoparticles and immune-inducing bacterial membranes. These designs work together to create a baiting effect at the tumor site, attracting and activating immune cells to attack. It has been demonstrated that the generated nanoparticles have the potential to be targeted and delivered to the tumor site under the influence of an external magnetic field, as demonstrated in preliminary in vitro and in vivo studies. Moreover, the nanoparticles utilize the bacterial membrane and cell membrane-translocated calreticulin to induce an immune response, simulating a decoy mechanism to recruit immune cells. The nanoparticles were proved to be effective in recruiting macrophages and neutrophils and reducing tumor size in animal experiments. These features make the nanoparticles an ideal candidate for treating tumors.

Combination therapy with lipid prodrug liposomes reshapes disease-associated neutrophils to promote the cancer-immunity cycle

Neutrophils play a critical role in the cancer-immunity cycle and are associated with poor clinical outcomes. Recent research has primarily focused on the targeted delivery, phenotypic reversal, and reprogramming of tumor-associated neutrophils, while the impact of disease-associated neutrophils (DANs) on antitumor therapy remains understudied. Since liposomes, as drug delivery carriers, possess excellent biocompatibility and stability, making them particularly suitable for combination therapy, we optimized the formulation of asymmetrically branched polyethylene glycol-modified mitomycin C lipid prodrug liposomes (PEG2,5 K@MLP-L) and prepared hyaluronic acid and sialic acid ester stearate-co-modified dexamethasone palmitate liposomes (HA*SAS@DXP-L) to study DANs in normal, obese, aged, and septic mice. An increase in mitochondria and lysosomes in Ly-6G+CXCR2high DANs accelerated drug clearance, reduced CD3+CD8+ T cell activity in tumor-draining lymph nodes, and decreased CD8+ T cell infiltration in tumors. As the proportion of DANs increased, the efficacy of PEG2,5 K@MLP-L decreased. Combination therapy with PEG2,5 K@MLP-L and HA*SAS@DXP-L can reshape DANs, promote the cancer-immunity cycle, and enhance treatment efficacy. This study identifies key characteristics and functions of DANs and presents a promising strategy for improving clinical outcomes.

The neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio and the prevalence of cutaneous melanoma: a retrospective observational study of NHANES statistics spanning 1999 to 2018

This study aimed to investigated the association between the ratio of neutrophils to lymphocytes (NLR) and cutaneous melanoma (CM) and to determine the association between the NLR and the prevalence of CM. A retrospective observational study involving 62,102 individuals over the age of 18, drawn from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), which was carried out over the period from 1999 to 2018. NLR derived from laboratory data, while CM diagnosis was based on participants' self-reports. The relationship between the NLR and CM was assessed using weighted logistic regression analyses, complemented by restricted cubic spline analyses. The study encompassed a total of 336 adults afflicted with CM and 49,621 adults free from CM. The findings exposed a correlation between the NLR and the occurrence of CM, having an odds ratio (OR) of 1.63 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.07 to 2.48; p = 0.022). Moreover, the restricted cubic spline model showed a non-linear pattern between the NLR and CM. Overall, we found that the NLR was positively associated with the prevalence of CM. Our findings highlight that NLR may be a systemic inflammation waring marker for CM in US individuals.

Neoadjuvant immunotherapy and oncolytic virotherapy in HPV positive and HPV negative skin cancer: A comprehensive review

Skin cancer is the most common new cancer among Caucasians. This cancer has different types, of which non-melanoma skin cancer is the most common type. Various factors affect this disease, one of which is viral infections, including HPV. This virus plays an important role in skin cancer, especially cSCCs. There are various options for the treatment of skin cancer, and today special attention has been paid to treatments based on therapeutic goals, immunotherapy and combination therapy. In this study, we have investigated treatments based on immunotherapy and virotherapy and the effect of HPV virus on the effectiveness of these treatments in skin cancer. Treatments based on virotherapy are performed for a long time in combination with other common treatments such as radiotherapy and chemotherapy in order to have a greater effect and lower its side effects, which include: shortness of breath, tachycardia, lowering blood pressure in the patient. Also, the most important axis of immunotherapy is to focus on PD1-PDL1, despite abundant evidence on the importance of immunotherapy, many studies investigate the use of immunotherapy inhibitors in the adjuvant and neoadjuvant setting in various cancers. Also, previous findings show conflicting evidence of the effect of HPV status on the response to immunotherapy.

Wnt5 controls splenic myelopoiesis and neutrophil functional ambivalency during DSS-induced colitis

Neutrophils are important innate immune cells with plasticity, heterogenicity, and functional ambivalency. While bone marrow is often regarded as the primary source of neutrophil production, the roles of extramedullary production in regulating neutrophil plasticity and heterogenicity in autoimmune diseases remain poorly understood. Here, we report that the lack of wingless-type MMTV integration site family member 5 (WNT5) unleashes anti-inflammatory protection against colitis in mice, accompanied by reduced colonic CD8+ T cell activation and enhanced splenic extramedullary myelopoiesis. In addition, colitis upregulates WNT5 expression in splenic stromal cells. The ablation of WNT5 leads to increased splenic production of hematopoietic niche factors, as well as elevated numbers of splenic neutrophils with heightened CD8+ T cell suppressive capability, in part due to elevated CD101 expression and attenuated pro-inflammatory activities. Thus, our study reveals a mechanism by which neutrophil plasticity and heterogenicity are regulated in colitis through WNT5 and highlights the role of splenic neutrophil production in shaping inflammatory outcomes.

Advances in tumor immunomodulation based on nanodrug delivery systems

Immunotherapy is a therapeutic approach that employs immunological principles and techniques to enhance and amplify the body's immune response, thereby eradicating tumor cells. Immunotherapy has demonstrated effective antitumor effects on a variety of malignant tumors. However, when applied to humans, many immunotherapy drugs fail to target lesions with precision, leading to an array of adverse immune-related reactions that profoundly limit the clinical application of immunotherapy. Nanodrug delivery systems enable the precise delivery of immunotherapeutic drugs to targeted tissues or specific immune cells, enhancing the immune antitumor effect while reducing the number of adverse reactions. A nanodrug delivery system provides a feasible strategy for activating the antitumor immune response by the following mechanisms: 1) increased targeting and uptake of vaccines by DCs, which enhances the efficacy of the immune response; 2) increased tumor cell immunogenicity; 3) regulation of TAMs and other cells by, for example, regulating the polarization of TAMs and interfering with TAN formation, and ECM remodeling by CAFs; and 4) interference with tumor immune escape signaling pathways, namely, the PD-1/PD-L1, FGL1/LAG-3 and IDO signaling pathways. This paper reviews the progress of nanodrug delivery system research with respect to tumor immunotherapy based on tumor immunomodulation over the last few years, discussing the promising future of these delivery systems under this domain.

Is immunotherapy a potential game changer in managing human papillomavirus (HPV) infection and intraepithelial neoplasia?

The International Papillomavirus Conference was held in Washington DC in April 2023 and encompassed wide ranging basic, clinical and public health research relating to animal and human papillomaviruses. This editorial is a personal reflection, it does not attempt to be comprehensive and reports on some key aspects centred on the prospects for immune interventions in prevention and treatment of HPV infections and early precancers with a focus on cervical neoplasia. There is optimism for the future impact of immunotherapy in treating early HPV associated disease. This will depend on developing an appropriate design of vaccines and delivery vehicles which then need to be properly tested in clinical trials that are able to measure a useful clinical endpoint. Thereafter vaccines (prophylactic or therapeutic) still need global access and sufficient uptake to deliver impact and a key and necessary driver is education.