BIO-MEMBRANE BASED NANOVACCINES: ENGINEERING THE IMMUNE SYSTEM TO FIGHT AGAINST CANCER

Abstract

Nanotechnology has transformed cancer therapy by overcoming limitations associated with conventional treatments. Although nanoparticle-based anticancer drugs hold promise, their efficacy is restricted by physiological barriers that hinder drug penetration and immune activation. Self-assembled nanomaterials have been designed to address these issues with programmable delivery and immune modulation, enhancing cancer immune therapy.

Cancer vaccines stimulate the immune system against tumors, yet conventional vaccines suffer from low immunogenicity, short-lived responses, and poor antigen presentation. Nanovaccines, utilizing carriers like liposomes, virosomes, and dendrimers, improve antigen stability, immune stimulation, and circulation time, optimizing their therapeutic potential. Biomembrane-based nanovaccines have emerged as a superior alternative, leveraging natural or engineered biological membranes to enhance immune evasion, antigen stability, and biocompatibility. These vaccines, derived from tumor cell membranes, dendritic cell vesicles, and bacterial OMVs, effectively evade immune clearance, improve lymphoid organ targeting, and enhance antigen presentation. Their mechanism involves MHC-I and MHC-II pathways, activating CD8+ and CD4+ T cells for a robust and sustained immune response. The capability of these nanovaccines to combine with immune checkpoint inhibitors expands their therapeutic potential, presenting them as a promising frontier in cancer immunotherapy.