Scientists at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Centre have developed an ultrasound-guided cancer immunotherapy platform that promotes systemic antitumor immunity and increases immune checkpoint blockade therapeutic efficacy. The findings of the research were published in the journal ‘Nature Nanotechnology’.
According to the scientists, the Microbubble-assisted UltraSound-guided Immunotherapy of Cancer (MUSIC) approach employs nano complexes combined with microbubbles to effectively deliver cyclic guanosine monophosphate-adenosine monophosphate (cGAMP), an immuno-transmitter involved in anticancer immunity, into antigen-presenting cells (APCs).
“By investigating the mechanisms of action in producing a robust STING activation, we identified a new strategy to activate both the innate and adaptive antitumor immune responses. Our findings show that the MUSIC strategy is capable of paving the way toward novel image-guided strategies for targeted cancer immunotherapy,” said Wen Jiang, M.D., PhD, assistant professor of Radiation Oncology and the study’s co-senior author as quoted by news agency ANI.
According to the researchers, Immunotherapy has transformed cancer treatment, offering clinical benefits for patients with treatment-refractory metastatic cancers such as melanoma, non-small cell lung cancer, and renal cell cancer. However, not all patients respond to immune checkpoint blockade. Therefore, developing a more effective immunotherapy strategy to benefit larger numbers of cancer patients with localized and metastatic disease remains an unmet clinical need, the scientists claim.
“Although the majority of cancer immunotherapies have focused on boosting the adaptive branch of the body’s immune system, there has been a growing realization that both the innate and adaptive branches of the body’s immune system need to be engaged to generate optimal antitumoral immunity. This understanding has led to the development of new immunotherapies that target the regulators of innate immune systems, including the cGAS-STING pathway,” Jiang said.
Jiang also said that the same concept and design principle behind the MUSIC platform’s microbubble technology could be readily translated to nanoscale systems for targeted systemic delivery and activation of innate immune sensors under image guidance for cancer immunotherapy applications.
The scientists are hopeful that the versatility of the MUSIC platform could potentially be applied to targeted delivery of other immune-stimulating agents, such as nucleotide-based vaccines, mRNAs, and other gene therapies for multiple human diseases.
(With inputs from ANI)
