Harnessing Nanomaterials for Cancer Sonodynamic Immunotherapy

Immunotherapy has made remarkable strides in cancer therapy over the past decade. However, such emerging therapy still suffers from the low response rates and immune-related adverse events. Various strategies have been developed to overcome these serious challenges. Therein, sonodynamic therapy (SDT), as a non-invasive treatment, has received ever-increasing attention especially in the treatment of deep-seated tumors. Significantly, SDT can effectively induce immunogenic cell death to trigger systemic anti-tumor immune response, termed sonodynamic immunotherapy. The rapid development of nanotechnology has revolutionized SDT effects with robust immune response induction. As a result, more and more innovative nanosonosensitizers and synergistic treatment modalities are established with superior efficacy and safe profile. In this review, the recent advances in cancer sonodynamic immunotherapy are summarized with a particular emphasis on how nanotechnology can be explored to harness SDT for amplifying anti-tumor immune response. Moreover, the current challenges in this field and the prospects for its clinical translation are also presented. It is anticipated that this review can provide rational guidance and facilitate the development of nanomaterials-assisted sonodynamic immunotherapy, helping to pave the way for next-generation cancer therapy and eventually achieve a durable response in patients.

Automated summary

Immunotherapy has made significant progress in cancer therapy, but it still faces challenges such as low response rates and immune-related adverse events. Sonodynamic therapy (SDT) has gained attention for treating deep-seated tumors and can trigger systemic anti-tumor immune response through immunogenic cell death. Nanotechnology has revolutionized SDT, leading to the development of innovative nanosonosensitizers and synergistic treatment modalities. This review summarizes the recent advances in cancer sonodynamic immunotherapy and explores how nanotechnology can enhance the anti-tumor immune response.