Journal
THERANOSTICS
Volume 12, Issue 1, Pages 1030-1060Publisher
IVYSPRING INT PUBL
DOI: 10.7150/thno.64805
Keywords
Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma; solid tumors; nanoparticles; drug delivery; immunotherapy; tumor microenvironment
Categories
Funding
- NIH-NCI [U01 CA213862, P01 CA217798, R01 CA195586, R01 CA247471, R01 CA247763, R21 CA223429, P30 CA036727, U54 GM115458, P30 CA086862]
- Iowa State University Nanovaccine Institute
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Pancreatic tumors are difficult to treat due to their highly fibrotic and immunosuppressive nature. Nanotechnology offers promising solutions by providing improved drug delivery and immunotherapy-based approaches. This review highlights the potential of nanoscale strategies for treating pancreatic tumors and discusses future research directions.
Pancreatic tumors are highly desmoplastic and immunosuppressive. Delivery and distribution of drugs within pancreatic tumors are compromised due to intrinsic physical and biochemical stresses that lead to increased interstitial fluid pressure, vascular compression, and hypoxia. Immunotherapy-based approaches, including therapeutic vaccines, immune checkpoint inhibition, CAR-T cell therapy, and adoptive T cell therapies, are challenged by an immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment. Together, extensive fibrosis and immunosuppression present major challenges to developing treatments for pancreatic cancer. In this context, nanoparticles have been extensively studied as delivery platforms and adjuvants for cancer and other disease therapies. Recent advances in nanotechnology have led to the development of multiple nanocarrier-based formulations that not only improve drug delivery but also enhance immunotherapy-based approaches for pancreatic cancer. This review discusses and critically analyzes the novel nanoscale strategies that have been used for drug delivery and immunomodulation to improve treatment efficacy, including newly emerging immunotherapy-based approaches. This review also presents important perspectives on future research directions that will guide the rational design of novel and robust nanoscale platforms to treat pancreatic tumors, particularly with respect to targeted therapies and immunotherapies. These insights will inform the next generation of clinical treatments to help patients manage this debilitating disease and enhance survival rates.
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