Next Generation of Cancer Immunotherapy: Targeting the Cancer-Immunity Cycle with Nanotechnology

Abstract

Although cancer immunotherapy has made great progress in treating a variety of malignances, its clinical efficacy is often dampened by tumor heterogeneity, tumor microenvironment, and immune cell dysfunction. An effective antitumor immune response involves a series of immunological events called the “cancer-immunity cycle,” which provides the rationale for designing new therapeutic approaches. Nanotechnology demonstrates great potentials of immunomodulation, offering new opportunities to accelerate the development of next generation of cancer immunotherapy. We herein review current applications of nanotechnology, which effectively boost anticancer immune responses through targeting each step of the cancer-immunity cycle, thereby enhancing the potency and minimizing the toxicity of cancer immunotherapy.