Antigen-Loaded Nanoparticles for Redirecting Pre-Existing Anti-Tumour Immunity
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing tumour vaccines face low efficacy due to immune tolerance towards tumour antigens, under-expression of immunogenic antigens, and the immuno-suppressive tumour environment, making it difficult to induce a new immune response against spontaneously expressed tumour antigens.
Innovation Solution
Development of nanoparticles containing a biocompatible matrix, such as silk fibroin, delivering a non-tumour-specific antigen and an adjuvant to redirect a pre-existing immune response against cancer cells, utilizing nanoparticles that are selectively internalized by cancer cells.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If tumour vaccines use tumour-specific antigens to induce immune response, then the immune system can recognize and attack tumour cells, but the efficacy is reduced due to immune tolerance towards endogenous tumour antigens
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses dendritic cells as intermediary carriers that phagocytose tumour cells and present their antigens to T lymphocytes. This intermediary mechanism bypasses the immune tolerance issue by using professional antigen-presenting cells to bridge the gap between tumour antigens and immune response, enabling effective recognition and attack despite tolerance to endogenous antigens.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces direct antigen presentation mechanisms with a biological mechanism involving phagocytosis and antigen processing by dendritic cells. Instead of relying on the tumour cells themselves to present antigens directly to immune effectors, the system uses the dendritic cell machinery to process and present tumour antigens, thereby overcoming the tolerance barrier.
2Reliability
If tumour vaccines aim to induce new immune response against tumour antigens, then tumour elimination can be achieved, but the response is blocked by the immuno-suppressive tumour environment
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary action by using dendritic cells to phagocytose tumour cells before the immune response is fully activated. The dendritic cells pre-process and present tumour antigens to T lymphocytes in a controlled manner, initiating the immune response before the tumour's immuno-suppressive mechanisms can fully counteract it. This timing advantage allows the immune system to engage effectively despite the suppressive environment.
Solution Approach 2:
Dendritic cells serve as protective intermediaries that shield the immune response from the tumour's suppressive environment. By using dendritic cells to present antigens and activate T lymphocytes, the system creates a protected pathway for immune activation that is less susceptible to inhibition by tumour-derived suppressive factors.
3Ease of manufacture
If tumour vaccines use traditional vaccination strategies, then the protocol is simple, but the clinical efficacy rate remains low
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces dendritic cells as a biological intermediary that enhances the traditional vaccination strategy. Instead of simply administering tumour antigens directly (which has low efficacy), the system uses dendritic cells to process and present these antigens, thereby amplifying the immune response and improving clinical efficacy while maintaining protocol simplicity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a composite immunological system combining dendritic cells, T lymphocytes, and tumour antigens. This composite approach integrates multiple functional elements (antigen presentation, immune activation, and tumour recognition) into a synergistic system that achieves higher efficacy than traditional single-component vaccines.
Data Source
AI summary
The present patent application relates to nanoparticles for the delivery and targeting of a non-tumour-specific antigen in cancer cells, comprising a matrix support based on a biocompatible material, the non-tumour-specific antigen, and an adjuvant, for use in recalling, in cancer patients who have a specific immunity for the non-tumour- specific antigen pre-existing to the tumour pathology, the immune response specific to the non-tumour-specific antigen against the cancer cells. A further object of the application is anti-tumour pharmaceutical formulations comprising nanoparticles and kits comprising the aforementioned anti-tumour pharmaceutical formulations in combination with traditional anti-tumour vaccines.