Turning the body into a biofactory: in situ generation of immunostimulatory virus‑like nanoparticles

Ranieri Bizzarri – Associate Professor, Scuola Normale Superiore and Istituto Nanoscienze-CNR; Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia; Department of Surgical, Medical and Molecular Pathology, and Critical Care Medicine, University of Pisa, Italy.; Chiara Migone – Junior Researcher, Department of Pharmacy, University of Pisa, Italy.; Anna Maria Piras – Associate Professor, Department of Pharmacy, University of Pisa, Italy.; Marcos Garcia-Fuentes – Associate Professor, Center for Research in Molecular Medicine and Chronic Diseases and Health Research Institute of Santiago de Compostela, University of Santiago de Compostela, Spain.

Introduction:

Glioblastoma multiforme is an aggressive brain tumor with a poor prognosis; only 5% of patients survive five years post-diagnosis (1). The tumor's location and its immunosuppressive microenvironment often lead to conventional therapy failure. Viral-like particles (VLPs) have shown great safety and immunogenic potential as vaccines. In this context, implantable gene-activated hydrogels are promising candidates for the in situ and controlled delivery of these immunostimulatory nanoparticles to reprogram the local immune response.