Antitumoral immunotherapies have achieved remarkable results in the treatment of a variety of cancers, but there are also limitations such as low response or side effects. An effective immune response against cancer requires the appropriate activity and interaction of cellular and molecular mediators involved in the “cancer-immunity cycle” to prevent tumor progression, fight against cancer cells and ultimately achieve tumor eradication. Nanoparticles have been engineered to improve the delivery of a wide range of immunotherapies (including small drugs, nucleic acids, peptides, or antibodies) after intravenous administration towards tumor sites, but also for other routes of administration with the aim to improve their efficacy and/or safety. Nanotechnology approaches have been developed and evaluated i) to dismantle the immunosuppressive signals in the tumor microenvironment (TME), ii) to activate specific molecular or cellular mediators in the TME, iii) to improve the transport of antigens toward the appropriate immune cells, in the context of cancer vaccines, iv) to induce immunogenic cell death, thus killing cancer cells and activating antitumor immune responses, and lately v) to improve cell therapies or iv) to advance the diagnosis of cancer progression through the tracking or quantification of molecular and cellular immune mediators. In the next years, new research has the potential to provide exciting results improving tissular and cellular targeting but also applying stimuli-responsive nanocarriers (i.e. pH, temperature, ultrasounds or radiotherapy), drug delivery strategies for combination therapies (i.e. chemo-immunotherapy or immuno-radiosensitizers) or other innovative approaches intended to overcome cancer resistance.
This Research Topic will cover both basic and clinical studies that advance our understanding of using nanotechnology in the field of cancer immunotherapy and will highlight investigations developing and evaluating new diagnostic and/or therapeutic nanoparticles with the potential to improve the outcome of patients with cancer.
Guests Editors Paola Allavena, María José Alonso, María José Oliveira, Fernando Torres Andón, Clement Anfray, and the editorial team of Frontiers in Immunology invite submission of original and review articles related to better understanding the use of nanotechnology in cancer immunotherapy, providing new approaches from basic to clinical research. We welcome manuscripts from the following subtopics:
1. Nanoparticles targeting and reprogramming the tumor microenvironment
2. Cancer vaccines, nanoparticles delivering adjuvants and/or antigens
3. Nanotechnology for improving cell immunotherapy, CAR-T and others
4. Using nanotechnology to deliver immunomodulatory molecules
5. Using nanoparticles for diagnostics, tracking immune cells or quantification of immune signals
6. Nanoparticle interaction with innate, adaptive or humoral immune mediators in the context of cancer
7. Immunomodulatory nanoparticles for combination therapies
8. Nanotechnology to overcome cancer resistance to therapy
Note that manuscripts consisting solely of bioinformatics or computational analysis of public genomic or transcriptomic databases which are not accompanied by robust and relevant validation (clinical cohort or biological validation in vitro or in vivo) are out of scope for this topic. Please also note that Topic Editor Prof. María José Alonso is the co-founder of "Libera Bio" and "Smart Vitamins".
Antitumoral immunotherapies have achieved remarkable results in the treatment of a variety of cancers, but there are also limitations such as low response or side effects. An effective immune response against cancer requires the appropriate activity and interaction of cellular and molecular mediators involved in the “cancer-immunity cycle” to prevent tumor progression, fight against cancer cells and ultimately achieve tumor eradication. Nanoparticles have been engineered to improve the delivery of a wide range of immunotherapies (including small drugs, nucleic acids, peptides, or antibodies) after intravenous administration towards tumor sites, but also for other routes of administration with the aim to improve their efficacy and/or safety. Nanotechnology approaches have been developed and evaluated i) to dismantle the immunosuppressive signals in the tumor microenvironment (TME), ii) to activate specific molecular or cellular mediators in the TME, iii) to improve the transport of antigens toward the appropriate immune cells, in the context of cancer vaccines, iv) to induce immunogenic cell death, thus killing cancer cells and activating antitumor immune responses, and lately v) to improve cell therapies or iv) to advance the diagnosis of cancer progression through the tracking or quantification of molecular and cellular immune mediators. In the next years, new research has the potential to provide exciting results improving tissular and cellular targeting but also applying stimuli-responsive nanocarriers (i.e. pH, temperature, ultrasounds or radiotherapy), drug delivery strategies for combination therapies (i.e. chemo-immunotherapy or immuno-radiosensitizers) or other innovative approaches intended to overcome cancer resistance.
This Research Topic will cover both basic and clinical studies that advance our understanding of using nanotechnology in the field of cancer immunotherapy and will highlight investigations developing and evaluating new diagnostic and/or therapeutic nanoparticles with the potential to improve the outcome of patients with cancer.
Guests Editors Paola Allavena, María José Alonso, María José Oliveira, Fernando Torres Andón, Clement Anfray, and the editorial team of Frontiers in Immunology invite submission of original and review articles related to better understanding the use of nanotechnology in cancer immunotherapy, providing new approaches from basic to clinical research. We welcome manuscripts from the following subtopics:
1. Nanoparticles targeting and reprogramming the tumor microenvironment
2. Cancer vaccines, nanoparticles delivering adjuvants and/or antigens
3. Nanotechnology for improving cell immunotherapy, CAR-T and others
4. Using nanotechnology to deliver immunomodulatory molecules
5. Using nanoparticles for diagnostics, tracking immune cells or quantification of immune signals
6. Nanoparticle interaction with innate, adaptive or humoral immune mediators in the context of cancer
7. Immunomodulatory nanoparticles for combination therapies
8. Nanotechnology to overcome cancer resistance to therapy
Note that manuscripts consisting solely of bioinformatics or computational analysis of public genomic or transcriptomic databases which are not accompanied by robust and relevant validation (clinical cohort or biological validation in vitro or in vivo) are out of scope for this topic. Please also note that Topic Editor Prof. María José Alonso is the co-founder of "Libera Bio" and "Smart Vitamins".