Erythrocyte membrane-coated gold nanocages for targeted photothermal and chemical cancer therapy.

Recently, red blood cell (RBC) membrane-coated nanoparticles have attracted much attention because of their excellent immune escapability; meanwhile, gold nanocages (AuNs) have been extensively used for cancer therapy due to their photothermal effect and drug delivery capability. The combination of the RBC membrane coating and AuNs may provide an effective approach for targeted cancer therapy. However, few reports have shown the utilization of combining these two technologies. Here, we design erythrocyte membrane-coated gold nanocages for targeted photothermal and chemical cancer therapy. First, anti-EpCam antibodies were used to modify the RBC membranes to target 4T1 cancer cells. Second, the antitumor drug paclitaxel (PTX) was encapsulated into AuNs. Then, the AuNs were coated with the modified RBC membranes. These new nanoparticles were termed EpCam-RPAuNs. We characterized the capability of the EpCam-RPAuNs for selective tumor targeting via exposure to near-infrared irradiation. The experimental results demonstrate that EpCam-RPAuNs can effectively generate hyperthermia and precisely deliver the antitumor drug PTX to targeted cells. We also validated the biocompatibility of the EpCam-RAuNs in vitro. By combining the molecularly modified targeting RBC membrane and AuNs, our approach provides a new way to design biomimetic nanoparticles to enhance the surface functionality of nanoparticles. We believe that EpCam-RPAuNs can be potentially applied for cancer diagnoses and therapies.

Nanosensitizers for sonodynamic therapy for glioblastoma multiforme: current progress and future perspectives.

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is the most common primary malignant brain tumor, and it is associated with poor prognosis. Its characteristics of being highly invasive and undergoing heterogeneous genetic mutation, as well as the presence of the blood-brain barrier (BBB), have reduced the efficacy of GBM treatment. The emergence of a novel therapeutic method, namely, sonodynamic therapy (SDT), provides a promising strategy for eradicating tumors via activated sonosensitizers coupled with low-intensity ultrasound. SDT can provide tumor killing effects for deep-seated tumors, such as brain tumors. However, conventional sonosensitizers cannot effectively reach the tumor region and kill additional tumor cells, especially brain tumor cells. Efforts should be made to develop a method to help therapeutic agents pass through the BBB and accumulate in brain tumors. With the development of novel multifunctional nanosensitizers and newly emerging combination strategies, the killing ability and selectivity of SDT have greatly improved and are accompanied with fewer side effects. In this review, we systematically summarize the findings of previous studies on SDT for GBM, with a focus on recent developments and promising directions for future research.

Ultra-small bimetallic iron-palladium (FePd) nanoparticle loaded macrophages for targeted tumor photothermal therapy in NIR-II biowindows and magnetic resonance imaging.

Nanoparticles working in the NIR-II biowindows possess larger maximum permissible exposure (MPE) and desirable penetration depth to the laser. However, most NIR-II responsive nanomaterials lack tumor targeting and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) ability. This greatly limits their applications. This study reported ultra-small bimetallic iron-palladium (FePd) nanoparticle loaded macrophages for targeted tumor photothermal therapy in NIR-II biowindows and magnetic resonance imaging. The crystal phase, morphology, absorption spectrum and photothermal performance of the synthesized samples were systematically characterized. The effects of photothermal therapy and nuclear magnetic imaging (MRI) were studied both in vitro and in vivo. Since FePd nanoparticles have both iron and palladium elements, it had a good MRI imaging capability and high photothermal conversion efficiency (36.7%). After binding to macrophages, FePd nanoparticles@macrophages (FePd@M) showed a good tumor targeting ability and were used for targeting NIR-II photothermal therapy and MRI imaging of tumors. The results of photothermal treatment showed that the tumor volume decreased by 90% compared to the control group, and no significant organ toxicity was observed. The results of MRI imaging showed that the FePd@M has the best imaging effect. The nanoparticles with the excellent NIR-II PTT ability and MRI effect have overcome the problem of tumor targeting and avoid the rapid removal of ultra-small nanoparticles. The FePd@M delivery system provides new ideas for material construction in the NIR-II region and has great clinical application potential.

Erythrocyte-derived vesicles for circulating tumor cell capture and specific tumor imaging.

The precise diagnosis of cancer remains a great challenge; therefore, it is our research interest to develop safe, tumor-specific reagents. In this study, we designed nanovesicles derived from erythrocyte membranes; the nanovesicles are capable of recognizing tumor cells for both circulating tumor cell (CTC) capture and tumor imaging. The tumor-targeting molecules folic acid (FA) and fluorescein Cy5 were modified on the nanovesicle surface. The developed nanovesicles exhibit excellent tumor targeting ability both in vitro and in vivo for CTC capture and in tumor imaging. Compared with traditional immunomagnetic beads, the proposed nanovesicles are capable of avoiding non-specific adsorption as a derivative of red blood cells. Combined with a non-invasive means of micromanipulation, the nanometer-sized vesicles show a high purity of CTC capture (over 90%). In vivo, the nanovesicles can also be employed for efficient tumor imaging without obvious toxicity and side effects. In brief, the nanovesicles prepared herein show potential clinical application for integrated diagnosis in vitro and in vivo.

Capture and "self-release" of circulating tumor cells using metal-organic framework materials.

Capturing circulating tumor cells (CTCs) from peripheral blood for subsequent analyses has shown potential in precision medicine for cancer patients. Broad as the prospect is, there are still some challenges that hamper its clinical applications. One of the challenges is to maintain the viability of the captured cells during the capturing and releasing processes. Herein, we have described a composite material that could encapsulate a magnetic Fe3O4 core in a MIL-100 shell (MMs), which could respond to pH changes and modify the anti-EpCAM antibody (anti-EpCAM-MMs) on the surface of MIL-100. After the anti-EpCAM-MMs captured the cells, there was no need for additional conditions but with the acidic environment during the cell culture process, MIL-100 could realize automatic degradation, leading to cell self-release. This self-release model could not only improve the cell viability, but could also reduce the steps of the release process and save human and material resources simultaneously. In addition, we combined clinical patients' case diagnosis with the DNA sequencing and next generation of RNA sequencing technologies in the hope of precision medicine for patients in the future.

Cancer Cell Membrane Camouflaged Nanoparticles to Realize Starvation Therapy Together with Checkpoint Blockades for Enhancing Cancer Therapy.

Although anti-PD-1 immunotherapy is widely used to treat melanoma, its efficacy still has to be improved. In this work, we present a therapeutic method that combines immunotherapy and starvation therapy to achieve better antitumor efficacy. We designed the CMSN-GOx method, in which mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSN) are loaded with glucose oxidase (GOx) and then encapsulate the surfaces of cancer cell membranes to realize starvation therapy. By functionalizing the MSN's biomimetic surfaces, we can synthesize nanoparticles that can escape the host immune system and homologous target. These attributes enable the nanoparticles to have improved cancer targeting ability and enrichment in tumor tissues. Our synthetic CMSN-GOx complex can ablate tumors and induce dendritic cell maturity to stimulate an antitumor immune response. We performed an in vivo analysis of these nanoparticles and determined that our combined therapy CMSN-GOx plus PD-1 exhibits a better antitumor therapeutic effect than therapies using CMSN-GOx or PD-1 alone. Additionally, we used the positron emission tomography imaging to measuring the level of glucose metabolism in tumor tissues, for which we investigate the effect with the cancer therapy in vivo.

Engineered red blood cells for capturing circulating tumor cells with high performance.

Filtration of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) in peripheral blood is of proven importance for early cancer diagnosis, treatment monitoring, metastasis diagnosis, and prognostic evaluation. However, currently available strategies for enriching CTCs, such as magnetic activated cell sorting (MACS), face serious problems with purity due to nonspecific interactions between beads and leukocytes in the process of capturing. In the present study, the tumor-targeting molecule folic acid (FA) and magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) were coated on the surface of red blood cells (RBCs) by hydrophobic interaction and chemical conjugation, respectively. The resulting engineered RBCs rapidly adhered to CTCs and the obtained CTC-RBC conjugates were isolated in a magnetic field. After treatment with RBC lysis buffer and centrifugation, CTCs were released and captured. The duration of the entire process was less than three hours. Cell counting showed that the capture efficiency was above 90% and the purity of the obtained CTCs was higher than 75%. The performance of the proposed method exceeded that of MACS® beads (80% for capture efficiency and 20% for purity) under the same conditions. The obtained CTCs could be successfully re-cultured and proliferated in vitro. Our engineered RBCs have provided a novel method for enriching rare cells in the physiological environment.