CCR7 Mediated Mimetic Dendritic Cell Vaccine Homing in Lymph Node for Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma Therapy

Immunotherapy has been recognized as one of the most promising treatment strategies for head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). As a pioneering trend of immunotherapy, dendritic cell (DC) vaccines have displayed the ability to prime an immune response, while the insufficient immunogenicity and low lymph node (LN) targeting efficiency, resulted in an unsubstantiated therapeutic efficacy in clinical trials. Herein, a hybrid nanovaccine (Hy-M-Exo) is developed via fusing tumor-derived exosome (TEX) and dendritic cell membrane vesicle (DCMV). The hybrid nanovaccine inherited the key protein for lymphatic homing, CCR7, from DCMV and demonstrated an enhanced efficiency of LN targeting. Meanwhile, the reserved tumor antigens and endogenous danger signals in the hybrid nanovaccine activated antigen presenting cells (APCs) elicited a robust T-cell response. Moreover, the nanovaccine Hy-M-Exo displayed good therapeutic efficacy in a mouse model of HNSCC. These results indicated that Hy-M-Exo is of high clinical value to serve as a feasible strategy for antitumor immunotherapy.

Automated summary

Immunotherapy, particularly dendritic cell (DC) vaccines, has shown promise in treating head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). However, the low immunogenicity and poor lymph node (LN) targeting efficiency have hindered the therapeutic efficacy. To overcome these limitations, a hybrid nanovaccine (Hy-M-Exo) was developed by combining tumor-derived exosome (TEX) and dendritic cell membrane vesicle (DCMV). The Hy-M-Exo nanovaccine displayed enhanced LN targeting efficiency and activated antigen presenting cells (APCs), resulting in a robust T-cell response. In a mouse model of HNSCC, the Hy-M-Exo nanovaccine demonstrated significant therapeutic efficacy, making it a promising strategy for antitumor immunotherapy.