Co-delivery of Phagocytosis Checkpoint Silencer and Stimulator of Interferon Genes Agonist for Synergetic Cancer Immunotherapy

Efficient capture and presentation of tumor antigens by antigen-presenting cells (APCs), especially dendritic cells (DCs), are crucial for activating the anti-tumor immunity. However, APCs are immunosuppressed in the tumor microenvironment, which hinders the tumor elimination. To reprogram APCs for inducing strong anti-tumor immunity, we report here a co-delivery immunotherapeutic strategy targeting the phagocytosis checkpoint (signal regulatory protein alpha, SIRP alpha) and stimulator of interferon genes (STING) of APCs to jointly enhance their ability of capturing and presenting tumor antigens. In brief, a small interfering RNA targeting SIRP alpha (siSIRP alpha) and a STING agonist (cGAMP) were co-delivered into APCs by the encapsulation into poly(ethylene glycol)-b-poly(lactide-co-glycolide)-based polymeric nanoparticles (NPsiSIRP alpha/cGAMP). siSIRP alpha-mediated SIRP alpha silence promoted APCs to actively capture tumor antigens by engulfing tumor cells. The cGAMP-stimulated STING signaling pathway further enhanced the functions of APCs, thereby increased the activation and expansion of CD8(+) T cells. Using ovalbumin (OVA)-expressing melanoma as a model, we demonstrated that NPsiSIRP alpha/cGAMP stimulated the activation of OVA-specific CD8(+) T cells and induced holistic anti-tumor immune responses by reversing the immunosuppressive phenotype of APCs. Collectively, this co-delivery strategy synergistically enhanced the functions of APCs and can be extended to the treatment of tumors with poor immunogenicity.

Automated summary

This study developed a co-delivery immunotherapeutic strategy targeting the phagocytosis checkpoint SIRP alpha and STING of APCs to enhance tumor antigen capture and presentation, activation of CD8(+) T cells, and induction of holistic anti-tumor immune responses. The strategy synergistically enhanced APC functions and can potentially be applied to tumors with poor immunogenicity.