A facile approach to preparing personalized cancer vaccines using iron-based metal organic framework.

BACKGROUND

Considering the diversity of tumors, it is of great significance to develop a simple, effective, and low-cost method to prepare personalized cancer vaccines.

METHODS

In this study, a facile one-pot synthetic route was developed to prepare cancer vaccines using model antigen or autologous tumor antigens based on the coordination interaction between Fe ions and endogenous fumarate ligands.

RESULTS

Herein, Fe-based metal organic framework can effectively encapsulate tumor antigens with high loading efficiency more than 80%, and act as both delivery system and adjuvants for tumor antigens. By adjusting the synthesis parameters, the obtained cancer vaccines are easily tailored from microscale rod-like morphology with lengths of about 0.8 μm (OVA-ML) to nanoscale morphology with sizes of about 50~80 nm (OVA-MS). When cocultured with antigen-presenting cells, nanoscale cancer vaccines more effectively enhance antigen uptake and Th1 cytokine secretion than microscale ones. Nanoscale cancer vaccines (OVA-MS, dLLC-MS) more effectively enhance lymph node targeting and cross-presentation of tumor antigens, mount antitumor immunity, and inhibit the growth of established tumor in tumor-bearing mice, compared with microscale cancer vaccines (OVA-ML, dLLC-ML) and free tumor antigens.

CONCLUSIONS

Our work paves the ways for a facile, rapid, and low-cost preparation approach for personalized cancer vaccines.