DNA Nanoclusters Combined with One-Shot Radiotherapy Augments Cancer Immunotherapy Efficiency

Immunotherapy shows immense promise for improving cancer treatment. Combining immunotherapy with radiotherapy provides a conspicuous advantage due to its enhanced abscopal effect. However, established immune tolerance mechanisms in the tumor microenvironment can hamper the generation of a sufficient abscopal effect. Herein, a type of DNA nanocluster (DNAnc) that is self-assembled by a CpG-ODNs-loaded Y-shaped double-stranded DNA vector based on the unique complementary base-pairing rules is designed. The unique structure of DNAnc makes it load more than approximate to 8125.5 +/- 822.5 copies of CpG ODNs within one single nanostructure, which effectively increases resistance to nuclease degradation and elevates the efficiency of repolarizing macrophages to an M1-like phenotype. Mechanistic studies reveal that more DNAncs are endocytosed by macrophages in the cancer tissue and repolarized macrophages to elicit a robust abscopal effect with the accumulation of macrophages induced by radiotherapy, generating potent, long-term, and durable antitumor immunity for the inhibition of tumor metastasis and the prevention of tumor recurrence, which provides a novel strategy to boost cancer immunotherapy.

Automated summary

Immunotherapy combined with radiotherapy shows potential in enhancing cancer treatment by generating a powerful abscopal effect. However, immune tolerance mechanisms in the tumor microenvironment can hinder this effect. In this study, a DNA nanocluster (DNAnc) was designed to carry CpG ODNs and repolarize macrophages, resulting in a robust abscopal effect. Mechanistic studies revealed that DNAncs were endocytosed by macrophages in the cancer tissue and induced the accumulation of repolarized macrophages, leading to potent and durable antitumor immunity, which provides a novel strategy for cancer immunotherapy enhancement.