Biodegradable STING agonist nanoparticles for enhanced cancer immunotherapy

DR Wilson, R Sen, JC Sunshine, DM Pardoll… - … , Biology and Medicine, 2018 - Elsevier
Nanomedicine: Nanotechnology, Biology and Medicine, 2018Elsevier
Therapeutic cancer vaccines require adjuvants leading to robust type I interferon and
proinflammatory cytokine responses in the tumor microenvironment to induce an anti-tumor
response. Cyclic dinucleotides (CDNs), a potent Stimulator of Interferon Receptor (STING)
agonist, are currently in phase I trials. However, their efficacy may be limited to micromolar
concentrations due to the cytosolic residence of STING in the ER membrane. Here we
utilized biodegradable, poly (beta-amino ester)(PBAE) nanoparticles to deliver CDNs to the …
Abstract
Therapeutic cancer vaccines require adjuvants leading to robust type I interferon and proinflammatory cytokine responses in the tumor microenvironment to induce an anti-tumor response. Cyclic dinucleotides (CDNs), a potent Stimulator of Interferon Receptor (STING) agonist, are currently in phase I trials. However, their efficacy may be limited to micromolar concentrations due to the cytosolic residence of STING in the ER membrane. Here we utilized biodegradable, poly(beta-amino ester) (PBAE) nanoparticles to deliver CDNs to the cytosol leading to robust immune response at >100-fold lower extracellular CDN concentrations in vitro. The leading CDN PBAE nanoparticle formulation induced a log-fold improvement in potency in treating established B16 melanoma tumors in vivo when combined with PD-1 blocking antibody in comparison to free CDN without nanoparticles. This nanoparticle-mediated cytosolic delivery method for STING agonists synergizes with checkpoint inhibitors and has strong potential for enhanced cancer immunotherapy.
Elsevier