A XNUMXD programmable vaccine will fight cancer and viral diseases such as AIDS

Scientists have demonstrated that an injection of a programmable biomaterial that is able to organize itself inside the body into a three-dimensional structure could prevent cancer and even infectious diseases, for example, AIDS 

Scientists have demonstrated that an injection of a programmable biomaterial capable of organizing itself inside the body into a three-dimensional structure could prevent cancer and even infectious diseases, for example, AIDS.

One of the main reasons why cancer is such a deadly disease lies in the fact that it is able to evade the activity of the body's immune system, a fact that allows tumors to thrive and spread. Doctors can encourage and stimulate the immune system, in a method known as immunotherapy, so that it can fight the cancer and maintain a durable immune resistance to the cancer cells. Now, scientists from Harvard University demonstrate a method by which they inject a programmable biomaterial that is able to organize itself inside the body into a three-dimensional structure capable of preventing cancer and even infectious diseases, for example, AIDS. The research findings were published in the scientific journal Nature Biotechnology.

"We are able to create three-dimensional structures that are inserted into the body using minimally invasive release methods, such as injection through the skin, that are able to enrich and activate the immune cells of the treated body in order to tune in and attack the cells within the body itself," said lead author of the article David Mooney. The researchers explain that tiny biodegradable rod-shaped structures composed of silica, known as mesoporous silica rods (MSRs), can be loaded with biological and chemical drugs and then injected with a needle directly under the skin. The rods organize themselves independently at the vaccination site to create a XNUMXD scaffold, similar to receiving a pile of matches scattered on a table top. The spaces between the pores in the layer of material are wide enough to be filled with dendritic cells, which function like surveillance cells that monitor the condition of the body and initiate an immune response when a harmful factor is detected in the body.

"The use of mesoporous nanometer silica particles is already known to be useful in controlling individual cells, but this is the first time that larger particles, at the micron level, are used to create a three-dimensional scaffold in the body's own drum capable of recruiting and harnessing tens of millions of cells of the immune system," said one from the researchers. These materials, obtained in the laboratory, contain tiny holes in them, called nanopores. These nanopores can be filled and loaded with defined drugs, for example cytokines, oligonucleotides, antigens, proteins and any other type of drug, thus creating a large number of possible combinations to treat a variety of infections.

"Despite the fact that we are currently focusing on the development of drugs against cancer, in the future we will be able to utilize any type of dendritic cells or other cells of the immune system to create the XNUMXD scaffold using different types of cytokines released from these structures," notes one of the researchers. "By adjusting the properties of the surface area and the size of the pores of the mesoporous silica rods, we can control the rate and manner of release of various drugs and proteins, thereby helping the body's natural immune system to perform its role properly."

Once the XNUMXD scaffold has completed recruiting cells from the body, the drugs contained within the mesoporous silica rods are released from them, then initiate the activity of the immune system's natural surveillance cells. The activated dendritic cells leave the scaffold and reach the lymph nodes where they activate an alert and encourage the body's immune system to attack specific cells, for example cancer cells. At the injection site, the mesoporous silica rods break down and dissolve naturally in the body after a few months.

So far, the researchers have only tested the XNUMXD compounds in mice, but they have already found them to be very effective. The experiment in mice showed that the XNUMXD scaffold injected into them was able to recruit and attract millions of dendritic cells to it, before these dispersed to the lymph nodes, where they triggered a powerful immune response.

The ingredients can be produced simply and quickly so that they can be quickly available in cases of infectious disease outbreaks. "We anticipate that XNUMXD components will be commonly used in many systems, and that their ability to be easily injected through the skin will allow their simple intake both on a clinical and non-clinical level," explains the researcher. In light of the fact that the ingredient works by initiating an immune response, the method could also be useful for imparting preventive immune resistance to the body before the outbreak of the infection.

"Injectable immunotherapeutics based on programmed biomaterials that function as efficient carriers for the delivery of therapy
Being goal-oriented and encouraging preventive treatment can help in the fight against a wide range of deadly diseases, including AIDS, Ebola and even cancer," notes the lead researcher.

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