Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, 58 Oxford St., 415, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA.
Curr Top Microbiol Immunol. 2011;344:279-97. doi: 10.1007/82_2010_69.
Our understanding of immunological regulation has progressed tremendously alongside the development of materials science, and at their intersection emerges the possibility to employ immunologically active biomaterials for cancer immunotherapy. Strong and sustained anticancer, immune responses are required to clear large tumor burdens in patients, but current approaches for immunotherapy are formulated as products for delivery in bolus, which may be indiscriminate and/or shortlived. Multifunctional biomaterial particles are now being developed to target and sustain antigen and adjuvant delivery to dendritic cells in vivo, and these have the potential to direct and prolong antigen-specific T cell responses. Three-dimensional immune cell niches are also being developed to regulate the recruitment, activation and deployment of immune cells in situ to promote potent antitumor responses. Recent studies demonstrate that materials with immune targeting and stimulatory capabilities can enhance the magnitude and duration of immune responses to cancer antigens, and preclinical results utilizing material-based immunotherapy in tumor models show a strong therapeutic benefit, justifying translation to and future testing in the clinic.
随着材料科学的发展，我们对免疫调节的理解取得了巨大进展，而在它们的交汇处，出现了将具有免疫活性的生物材料用于癌症免疫治疗的可能性。为了清除患者体内的大肿瘤负担，需要强烈和持续的抗癌、免疫反应，但目前的免疫疗法方法是作为产品进行批量给药，这可能是不分青红皂白的和/或短暂的。现在正在开发多功能生物材料颗粒，以靶向和维持体内树突状细胞的抗原和佐剂传递，这些颗粒有可能指导和延长抗原特异性 T 细胞反应。三维免疫细胞龛也正在开发中，以调节免疫细胞在原位的募集、激活和部署，从而促进有效的抗肿瘤反应。最近的研究表明，具有免疫靶向和刺激能力的材料可以增强对癌症抗原的免疫反应的幅度和持续时间，并且在肿瘤模型中利用基于材料的免疫疗法的临床前结果显示出很强的治疗益处，这证明了在临床中进行转化和未来测试的合理性。
