Advanced in red blood cells and platelets as carriers for anti-tumor drug delivery / 国际生物医学工程杂志

Red blood cells and platelets are widely present in the blood. They are easily isolated from the blood and relatively stable in nature, making them an ideal drug delivery vehicle. In recent years, a large number of studies have been conducted to use red blood cells and platelets to deliver antitumor drugs and achieve efficient drug delivery. Red blood cells and platelets have shown excellent results in optimizing the in vivo behavior of drugs, increasing efficacy, and reducing the dose administered. In addition, its cell membrane can be used as a coating material to improve the properties of nanodrug delivery systems and achieve biomimetic functions while reducing the toxic side effects of nanoparticles. The characteristics and preparation methods of red blood cells and platelets and their membrane materials were introduced, and their diagnostic and therapeutic applications in antitumor drug delivery was looked forward.

Symphony of nanomaterials and immunotherapy based on the cancer-immunity cycle

The immune system is involved in the initiation and progression of cancer. Research on cancer and immunity has contributed to the development of several clinically successful immunotherapies. These immunotherapies often act on a single step of the cancer-immunity cycle. In recent years, the discovery of new nanomaterials has dramatically expanded the functions and potential applications of nanomaterials. In addition to acting as drug-delivery platforms, some nanomaterials can induce the immunogenic cell death (ICD) of cancer cells or regulate the profile and strength of the immune response as immunomodulators. Based on their versatility, nanomaterials may serve as an integrated platform for multiple drugs or therapeutic strategies, simultaneously targeting several steps of the cancer-immunity cycle to enhance the outcome of anticancer immune response. To illustrate the critical roles of nanomaterials in cancer immunotherapies based on cancer-immunity cycle, this review will comprehensively describe the crosstalk between the immune system and cancer, and the current applications of nanomaterials, including drug carriers, ICD inducers, and immunomodulators. Moreover, this review will provide a detailed discussion of the knowledge regarding developing combinational cancer immunotherapies based on the cancer-immunity cycle, hoping to maximize the efficacy of these treatments assisted by nanomaterials.