Valrubicin-loaded immunoliposomes targeting antigens on immunosuppressive cells to circumvent resistance to cancer immunotherapy.

Abstract

We develop valrubicin-loaded immunoliposomes (Val-ILs), a nanoparticle-based therapy designed to target immunosuppressive cells that promote immune evasion in cancer. In vivo screening following intravenous administration in mice identifies nine relevant surface targets, including known immunoregulatory markers (LAG-3 and VEGFR2) and not-well-characterized candidates (CD11b, CD64, TIM1, CD200R3, CD204, CD49b, and SIGLEC-F). Within the tumor microenvironment, Val-ILs treatment broadly reduces the expression of these antigens on immunosuppressive populations, including tumor-associated macrophages, myeloid-derived suppressor cells, regulatory T cells, and T helper 17 cells, as well as on innate anti-tumor cells such as tumor-associated natural killer cells and tumor-infiltrating dendritic cells. Across four murine cancer models, two responsive (T and B lymphomas) and two resistant (orthotopic breast and lung cancers), Val-ILs decorated with antibodies against the nine targets significantly enhance anti-PD-1 efficacy. This combination boosts the presence of CD4⁺ and CD8⁺ tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes, reprograms tumor-associated macrophages toward an M1-like phenotype, and improves tumor control and metastasis reduction.