Figure 1.

Schematic illustration of both fabrication and mechanism of near‐infrared (NIR)‐triggered antigen‐capturing nanoplatform for synergistic photo‐immunotherapy. Here, the NIR‐triggered antigen‐capturing nanoplatform was constructed via self‐assembly of DSPE‐PEG‐mal and indocyanine green (ICG) onto the oleate‐capped UCNPs, followed by remote loading of rose bengal (RB). Upon NIR laser activation, the photodynamic therapy efficiency of UCNP/ICG/RB‐mal was significantly enhanced by ICG modification, while simultaneously achieving selective photothermal therapy. Next, tumor‐derived protein antigens (TDPAs) arising from UCNP/ICG/RB‐mal based phototherapy can be captured and retained in situ, which increases the effects of antigen uptake by antigen‐presenting cells (APCs) to induce a tumor‐specific immune response. Thus, UCNP/ICG/RB‐mal based phototherapy not only destroys the primary tumors but also inhibits untreated distant tumors via systemic antitumor immune responses.