Figure 5.

Improving T-cell infiltration with nanomedicines. Nanomedicines have three different targeting pathways: tumor cells, the TME, and the peripheral immune system. (A) Multiple approaches including photothermal therapy (PTT), photodynamic therapy (PDT), magnetic hyperthermia (MH), and high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) can induce ICD by promoting the release of tumor antigens and damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs). The released DAMPs act as adjuvants to enhance the immunogenicity of the tumor and, together with the released tumor antigens, promote dendritic cell (DC) activation and T-cell priming. (B) When targeting the TME, nanomedicines inhibit immunosuppressive cells and immunosuppressive molecules (e.g., TGFβ) and enhance the activity of T cells. (C) When the peripheral immune system is targeted, nanomedicines are engineered to augment tumor antigen presentation and T-cell priming in lymph nodes. Adapted with permission from ¹⁵⁰, copyright 2019 American Chemical Society.