Researchers at the Terasaki Institute for Biomedical Innovation have developed an innovative delivery system that could significantly improve the effectiveness of peptide-based cancer vaccines, according to a new study published in Advanced Functional Materials. The breakthrough centers on a new class of materials called lipopeptide hydrogels (LPHs), which show promise in boosting immune responses and possess adjuvant-like properties.
The research team engineered these hydrogels to deliver a specific peptide that targets hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), the most common type of primary liver cancer. The LPH system demonstrated sustained release of the cancer-targeting peptide over a two-week period, enhanced uptake by immune cells, activated immune cells called antigen-presenting cells by increasing co-stimulatory molecule expression, and increased immune cell presence in lymph nodes without observable toxic effects in vivo.
