Zhang Wenqin, Zhang Qingfu, Cai Jiaodi, He Jin, Xu Zhijie, Chen Xiang, Chen Guoqun
Department of Pathology, The Fourth Hospital of Changsha (The Affiliated Changsha Hospital of Hunan Normal University), Changsha, Hunan, 410006, People's Republic of China.
Department of Urology, The Affiliated Taian City Central Hospital of Qingdao University, Tai'an, Shandong, 271018, People's Republic of China.
Int J Nanomedicine. 2025 Sep 18;20:11389-11415. doi: 10.2147/IJN.S526305. eCollection 2025.
Cancer vaccines, as a cornerstone of personalized immunotherapy, inhibit malignant growth through activation of a comprehensive immune defense mechanism across the organism. However, the immunosuppressive tumor environment (TME) and evasion mechanisms produced by tumors, coupled with the suboptimal immunogenic activation from vaccine-based approaches, collectively constrain therapeutic outcomes in precision immuno-oncology. Consequently, cancer vaccines have yet to realize their broad clinical translation into routine patients. Achieving controlled biodistribution and optimized pharmacokinetics of therapeutic immunization platforms within biological systems, thereby instigating durable and vigorous antitumor immunity, remains a significant challenge. To overcome these limitations, innovative administration platforms are under investigation, with hydrogel-based matrices gaining traction as effective vehicles owing to their inherent physicochemical advantages. Furthermore, recent years have witnessed accelerated advancements in hydrogel-based systems for anticancer immunization. This analysis systematically outlines the therapeutic implementations and functional mechanisms of cancer vaccines, followed by an analysis of the structural and functional properties of hydrogel-based delivery carrier. We then categorize hydrogel-based cancer vaccines and summarize their current application situation. Subsequently, a detailed overview of antitumor immune cascades orchestrated by hydrogel-integrated immunization platforms is methodically presented. Finally, we conclude with forward-looking perspectives on hydrogel-mediated therapeutic vectors.
癌症疫苗作为个性化免疫疗法的基石，通过激活机体全面的免疫防御机制来抑制恶性肿瘤生长。然而，免疫抑制性肿瘤微环境（TME）以及肿瘤产生的逃逸机制，再加上基于疫苗方法产生的次优免疫原性激活，共同限制了精准免疫肿瘤学的治疗效果。因此，癌症疫苗尚未广泛应用于常规患者的临床治疗。在生物系统中实现治疗性免疫平台的可控生物分布和优化药代动力学，从而激发持久且强烈的抗肿瘤免疫力，仍然是一项重大挑战。为克服这些限制，正在研究创新给药平台，基于水凝胶的基质因其固有的物理化学优势而作为有效载体受到关注。此外，近年来基于水凝胶的抗癌免疫接种系统取得了快速进展。本分析系统地概述了癌症疫苗的治疗应用和功能机制，随后分析了基于水凝胶的递送载体的结构和功能特性。然后我们对基于水凝胶的癌症疫苗进行分类并总结其当前应用情况。随后，系统地详细介绍了由水凝胶整合免疫平台精心编排的抗肿瘤免疫级联反应。最后，我们对水凝胶介导的治疗载体给出前瞻性展望。
