A microsphere-vesicle hybrid system for tumor treatment through enhancement of innate and adaptive immune responses.

Abstract

Cancer immunotherapies, designed to modulate innate and/or adaptive immune responses alongside targeting immune checkpoint pathways, are hindered by the immunosuppressive properties of the tumor microenvironment (TME). In the present study, we developed a therapeutic system composed of TIM-3 antibody-loaded gelatin methacrylated (GelMA) microspheres conjugated with K7M2 osteosarcoma cell-derived vesicles containing EZH2 inhibitor EPZ6438 via an MMP2-responsive peptide sequence DPG. The hybrid system not only directly kills tumor cells and indirectly amplifies anticancer immunity, but also reprograms the TME by promoting tumor-associated macrophage polarization to the M1 phenotype, enhancing tumor-associated dendritic cell activation and blocking TIM-3-mediated immune suppression. Altogether, the engineered system releases both the drugs and antibodies to promote tumor apoptosis and reprograms the TME via modulation of innate and adaptive immunity, providing a promising and innovative therapeutic system for tumor treatment, and advancing the field of cancer immunotherapy.