Nano-Assisted Immune-Based Targeting in Cancer

By combining nanotechnology and current biological assays from gene therapy to immunotherapy, there is great potential to modify drug delivery systems to improve targeting and efficacy. A major goal in using nanoscale drug delivery systems is to improve the ability to target the tissue or cells of interest as well as to improve the local concentration of compounds delivered to that site. A challenge of this goal, however, is to develop nanoplatforms that are both nontoxic and biodegradable, while also ensuring that they have minimal or no potential for unwanted immunogenicity. Several nanoscale drug delivery systems have been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat various cancers, including Doxil, Abraxane, and Cervarix. Single-walled carbon nanotubes can be used in cancer treatments and imaging and as activators of an immune response. The most notable recent example of the general advances in the use of nanomaterials has been the rapid development of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccines by BioNtech and Moderna, which are composed of viral gene RNA-encapsulated liposomes.