Responsive Dual-Targeting Exosome as a Drug Carrier for Combination Cancer Immunotherapy

Recently, combination immunotherapy, which incorporates the activation of the immune system and inhibition of immune escape, has been proved to be a new powerful strategy for more efficient tumor suppression compared to monotherapy. However, the major challenge is how to integrate multiple immune drugs together and efficiently convey these drugs to tumor sites. Although a variety of nanomaterials have been exploited as carriers for targeting tumor issues and the delivery of multiple drugs, their potential toxicity, immune rejection, and stability are still controversial for clinical application.

Researchers from the Shandong Normal University propose endogenic exosomes as drug carriers to deliver two antibodies acting as tumor-targeting molecules and block checkpoint inhibitors with specific response to the tumor microenvironment and costimulatory molecules for further improvement of therapeutic effect. The versatile exosomes exhibit excellent biocompatibility and provide a combination immunotherapy platform with synergistic advantages of activation of immune response and inhibition of immune escape.

Schematic of dual-targeting and drug-loaded exosomes (cGAMP@dual-anti-Exos)
for tumor immunotherapy

(a) The generation process of cGAMP@dual-anti-Exos. (b) The effect of activation of immune response and inhibition of immune escape by cGAMP@dual-anti-Exos.