Bioinspired tumor-homing nanosystem for precise cancer therapy via reprogramming of tumor-associated macrophages

Rational design of smart nanosystems with high biological safety is a critical milestone for realizing precise imaging-guided cancer theranostics. Herein, a bioinspired nanosystem was designed by camouflaging SPIO@DOX-ICG nanoparticles with cancer cell membrane (CCM) to realize precise cancer treatment through simultaneous chemotherapy, hyperthermia-therapy, and radiotherapy. CCM surface decoration preserves the cancer adhesion molecules and surface antigens in the nanosystem, endowing the nanosystem with tumor-homing ability and high biocompatibility. Guided by dual-modal imaging, the nanosystem specifically accumulated in the tumor region and achieved synergistic anticancer effects after combined treatment, without causing toxic side effects in major organs. Interestingly, the combined treatment also antagonized tumor hypoxia and reprogrammed the polarization of tumor associated macrophages to the antitumor M1 phenotype. Taken together, this study offers a smart strategy for designing a bioinspired tumor-homing nanosystem for precise cancer therapy. A bioinspired nanosystem of cancer cell membrane-camouflaged SPIO@DOX-ICG nanoparticles was fabricated to realize precise cancer treatment by simultaneous chemotherapy, hyperthermia-therapy, and radiotherapy. The nanosystem achieved synergistic anticancer effects by antagonizing tumor hypoxia and reprograming the polarization of tumor associated macrophages to anti-tumor M1 phenotype, without causing toxic side effects on major organs. Non-toxic nanoparticles that can target tumors and aid the treatment of cancer have been developed and tested by scientists in China. Nanoparticles injected into the body can improve the resolution of medical scans, or carry therapeutic drugs through the body. Nanoparticles that can achieve both simultaneously are particularly important because they enable multiple different types of therapy. Tianfeng Chen from Jinan University, Zhuang Liu from Soochow University and co-workers made nanoparticles containing the chemotherapeutic drug doxorubicin and the imaging agent indocyanine green, which they coated with membrane from a cancer cell. These nanoparticles accumulated in mouse tumors where they could both deliver drugs for chemotherapy and act as targets for hyperthermia therapy and radiotherapy, all without having any toxic side effects on major organs.