Modifying biological materials will enhance the effectiveness of cancer treatment.

In an online review published in the Journal of Controlled Release, a research team led by Dae Yong Lee, an associate professor at the Cancer Research Center in Roanoke, discussed how minor modifications in therapeutic nanoparticles and biomaterials can enhance patient treatment outcomes.

It has recently been acknowledged that the physical characteristics of biomaterials—such as size, structure, shape, charge, mechanical strength, hydrophobicity, and multivalency—regulate the immunological functions of innate immune cells. To achieve the desired innate immune responses in immuno-oncology, biomaterials with varying physical properties are being developed.

“Modifying the physical characteristics of biomaterials proves to be a powerful tool for controlling the behavior of immune cells. This approach enables precise targeting and activation of innate immune cells, such as macrophages and natural killer cells, which play a crucial role in the fight against cancer.”

Dae Yong Lee, a faculty member of the Department of Biomedical Engineering and Mechanics at Virginia Tech's College of Engineering

Due to his expertise and contributions at the intersection of biomaterials science and cancer immunotherapy, Lee has been invited to collaborate with a team of oncologists.

Although early studies on biomaterial-based approaches showed promising results, many attempts in clinical trials have failed, particularly concerning certain types of tumors. To overcome these challenges, Lee's team shifted their focus from merely optimizing chemical properties to fine-tuning the physical characteristics of biomaterials to improve their interactions with immune cells.

This work is based on research published in the journal Nature Biomedical Engineering in 2024, where Lee and his colleagues engineered positively charged proteins to activate immune pathways.

Synthetic polypeptides facilitated the release of mitochondrial DNA, which, in turn, activated cancer-fighting T cells. In mouse models of progressive breast cancer, these synthesized polypeptides elicited a powerful anti-tumor immune response, offering a potentially novel approach to cancer treatment.

The development and optimization of the physical properties of biomaterials is a relatively unexplored area with significant potential.

It is important to note that translating innovations from the lab to clinical settings requires addressing issues of scalability, manufacturing, and safety for diverse patient groups. According to Lee, overcoming these barriers and laying the groundwork for next-generation cancer therapies necessitates collaboration across various disciplines, including materials science, immunology, and clinical research.

By focusing on the physical design of biomaterials, Lee's lab is working to transform cancer therapy for patients who currently face limited treatment options.