When properly deployed, the immune system can render deadly pathogens harmless, eradicate metastatic cancers, and provide long-lasting protection from diverse diseases. However, realizing these remarkable capabilities is inherently risky, as disruption to immune homeostasis can lead to dangerous complications and autoimmune disorders. While current research is continuously expanding the arsenal of potent immunotherapeutics, there is a technological gap when it comes to controlling when, where, and how long these drugs act on the body.<br/><br/>Nanomaterials are one of the most promising ways to close this gap. The immune system evolved to be exquisitely sensitive to nanoscale objects, making these materials innately capable of engaging immune cells in useful ways. At the same time, advances in nanoscale drug delivery vehicles have led to powerful technologies to control both the location and timing of drug release. In this work, we present the development of injectable nanoparticle-based hydrogels that allow for local delivery of potent immunotherapeutics to treat cancer. We report how these materials can significantly alter the pharmacokinetics of immunostimulatory antibodies to yield substantially safer treatment modalities. We also report how engineering the surface chemistry of the nanoparticles in these gels introduces affinity-based mechanisms to tune drug release kinetics and cellular engagement. By leveraging nanotechnology in hydrogels, we demonstrate how cutting edge materials approaches can close a critical technological gap in immuno-engineering, and take an important step towards achieving precise spatiotemporal control of immunological cues <i>in vivo</i>.

Focusing on where, when and how long: Leveraging nanomaterials for the controlled delivery of immunotherapy

ACS Spring 2022

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.