Scientists at Saratov State Research University in Russia have developed a method for photothermal immunotherapy of malignant tumors.
The press service of the Ministry of Education and Science reported that this drug is injected directly into the tumor using this method, which activates protective functions at the cellular level.
A statement issued by the ministry reads: “Scientists at Saratov State Research University have developed a system that allows for changing the pattern of immune cells within a tumor , whereby cells are reprogrammed from a pattern of supporting cancer to a pattern of destroying it using a laser-activated system. The photothermal immunotherapy method was developed in collaboration with colleagues at the Skoltech Institute, the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology and other Russian universities.”
The ministry explained that scientists have proposed a method to target macrophages, immune cells that protect the body under normal conditions but, during the development of malignant tumors, contribute to tumor growth by suppressing the immune response. To stimulate immune cells to fight the disease, the scientists proposed injecting microcapsules into the tumor containing a substance that activates a signaling pathway, a key mechanism for enhancing the anti-tumor immune response.
The active molecule remains encapsulated within the capsules and is released by the laser . Scientists used near-infrared light , which penetrates tissue but is poorly absorbed by biological structures. Under the influence of the light, the capsule walls rupture, releasing the drug directly into the tumor. As a result, macrophages switch to an anti-tumor state and begin fighting cancer cells, attracting other immune cells, including T-cells.
Olga Goslyakova, senior researcher at the Biomedical Photoacoustic Imaging Laboratory at Saratov University, said: "We have revealed the possibility of influencing the phenotype of macrophages present in the tumor after a single injection into the tumor with a suspension taken from photosensitive capsules, followed by laser irradiation of the tumor. In this way, we increased the proportion of pro-inflammatory macrophages, i.e., those that fight cancer cells, from 1% to 28%."
The Ministry of Education and Science confirmed that this development solves one of the major problems in modern immunotherapy: precisely delivering medication to the tumor without causing systemic side effects. The technique has been tested on cells and animal tumor models, particularly melanoma. In the future, researchers will need to evaluate the safety of the method and determine the optimal regimens for its application.
The research findings were published in the journal Biomaterials Advances.
