Introduction: Current cancer therapies often struggle with significant side effects and the challenge of completely eradicating tumors. Immunotherapies have recently emerged as both alternative and complementary solutions, with cancer vaccines standing out for their potential. These vaccines working principle consist of delivering antigen-encoding nucleic acids to antigen-presenting cells, triggering a specific CD8+ cytotoxic T lymphocyte response. However, the delivery of nucleic acids faces hurdles such as protecting genetic material from enzymatic degradation and ensuring precise internalization.
Learning Objectives:
At the completion of this activity, participants will know
Describe challenges and solutions in nucleic acid delivery for cancer immunotherapy.
Demonstrate encapsulation of pBAE nanoparticles with EVs and assess uptake efficiency.
Explain dendritic cell differentiation by EV-encapsulated nanoparticles for cancer vaccines.
