Cationic nanoparticles enhance T cell tumor infiltration and antitumor immune responses to a melanoma vaccine

In clinical settings, cancer vaccines as monotherapies have displayed limited success compared to other cancer immunotherapeutic treatments. Nanoscale formulations have the ability to increase the efficacy of cancer vaccines by combatting the immunosuppressive nature of the tumor microenvironment. Here, we have synthesized a previously unexplored cationic polymeric nanoparticle formulation using polyamidoamine dendrimers and poly(d,l-lactic-co-glycolic acid) that demonstrate adjuvant properties in vivo. Tumor-challenged mice vaccinated with an adenovirus-based cancer vaccine [encoding tumor-associated antigen (TAA)] and subsequently treated with this nanoparticulate formulation showed significant increases in TAA-specific T cells in the peripheral blood, reduced tumor burden, protection against tumor rechallenge, and a significant increase in median survival. An investigation into cell-based pathways suggests that administration of the nanoformulation at the site of the developing tumor may have created an inflammatory environment that attracted activated TAA-specific CD8(+) T cells to the vicinity of the tumor, thus enhancing the efficacy of the vaccine.