Lyophilization-inactivated cancer cells composited Janus scaffold for tumor postoperative immuno-chemotherapy

Abstract

Immunotherapy has played an important role in the treatment of malignant tumors. Efforts in this area are focused on exploiting a facile scaffold-based cancer vaccine with admirable efficacy and favorable property for tumor immunotherapy. Herein, an implantable sponge-nanofiber Janus scaffold with lyophilization-inactivated cancer cells, immune adjuvant imiquimod, and 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) spatially loading has been developed for tumor postoperative immuno-chemotherapy. The inactivated cancer cells and imiquimod encapsulated macroporous sponge of the scaffold can act as an immune niche to initiate a potent immune response. While the 5-FU loaded nanofibers can not only enhance the mechanical property of the scaffold, but also increase the anti-tumor immunity of the scaffold by directly killing cancer cells and depleting myeloid-derived suppressor cells to remodel the tumor immunosuppression microenvironment. Based on these features, the excellent anti-recurrence and anti-metastasis efficiency of the composited Janus scaffold have been demonstrated in the mouse breast tumor model. Thus, it is convinced that the proposed Janus scaffold spatially encapsulated with lyophilization-inactivated cancer cell vaccines and chemotherapeutic agents will provide novel sights for combination therapy after tumor surgery.