SHANGHAI – In cancer immunotherapy, immune cells inside the body need to receive strong and enough “signals” to attack cancer cells. However, cancer cells are adept at disguising themselves, with very sparse natural signals on their surfaces.
To accurately identify cancer cells, a research team led by Han Shuo from the Center for Excellence in Molecular Cell Science at the Chinese Academy of Sciences has applied proximity labeling technology from chemical biology research to disease treatment.
They have successfully constructed an engineered nanozyme that responds to deep-red light or ultrasound, which is described as a “nano-tagging robot” that can precisely identify cancer cells, according to Han.
The nanozyme can carry antibodies or ligands that recognize cancer cells, and enrich on the surface of cancer cells through blood circulation. By giving instructions through deep-red light or ultrasound, it can clearly tag cancer cells, turning them into targets.
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The researchers also injected a specially-made BiTE molecule into mice in experiments, which can not only highlight the targets, but also activate immune T cells to join the fight against cancer.
“This tagging can also activate the whole-body immune system to form long-term memory, as if a ‘tumor vaccine’ has been administered in the body,” said Han.
The study has achieved good therapeutic effects in both experimental mouse tumor models and in vitro clinical tumor samples. It is expected to pave a new path for the development of smarter and more efficient next-generation immunotherapies, according to Han.
Their study was published Wednesday online in the journal Nature.