Research reveals ultrasound-guided microbubbles boost immunotherapy efficacy

May 31, 2022

New Delhi, May 31 (ANI): According to the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, researchers have developed an ultrasound-guided cancer immunotherapy platform that promotes systemic anti-tumour immunity and increases immune checkpoint blockade therapeutic efficacy. The findings of the research were published in the journal ‘Nature Nanotechnology’. As the first-of-its-kind platform, the Microbubble-assisted UltraSound-guided Immunotherapy of Cancer (MUSIC) approach employs nano complexes combined with microbubbles to effectively deliver cyclic guanosine monophosphate-adenosine monophosphate (cGAMP), an immuno-transmitter involved in anti-cancer immunity, into antigen-presenting cells (APCs). Inside the APCs, the microbubbles release cGAMP to activate the GMP-AMP synthase (cGAS)-stimulator of interferon genes (STING) pathway, which stimulates type I interferon responses that are essential for priming tumour-specific T cells. In the preclinical study, the MUSIC strategy demonstrated a complete tumour eradication rate of 60 per cent when administered as monotherapy in breast cancer models. When combined with an anti-PD-1 antibody, MUSIC significantly improved anti-tumour responses with minimal toxicity effects, including enhanced primary tumour control and decreased systemic disease progression. In addition, the combination therapy demonstrated superior survival benefit, with a 76 per cent increase in median survival compared to either therapy alone.