Genetically Engineered Cell-Derived Nanoparticles for Targeted Breast Cancer Immunotherapy

Exosomes are nanosized membranous vesicles secreted by a variety of cells. Due to their unique and pharmacologically important properties, cell-derived exosome nanoparticles have drawn significant interest for drug development. By genetically modifying exosomes with two distinct types of surface-displayed monoclonal antibodies, we have developed an exosome platform termed synthetic multivalent antibodies retargeted exosome (SMART-Exo) for controlling cellular immunity. Here, we apply this approach to human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-expressing breast cancer by engineering exosomes through genetic display of both anti-human CD3 and anti-human HER2 antibodies, resulting in SMART-Exos dually targeting T cell CD3 and breast cancer-associated HER2 receptors. By redirecting and activating cytotoxic T cells toward attacking HER2-expressing breast cancer cells, the designed SMART-Exos exhibited highly potent and specific anti-tumor activity both in vitro and in vivo. This work demonstrates preclinical feasibility of utilizing endogenous exosomes for targeted breast cancer immunotherapy and the SMART-Exos as a broadly applicable platform technology for the development of next-generation immunonanomedicines.