# Biomimetic vesicles engineered from modified tumour cells act as personalized vaccines for post-surgical cancer immunotherapy

## TL;DR

Scientists created personalized cancer vaccines using modified tumor cells to boost immunity after surgery and prevent cancer recurrence.

## Contribution

A novel personalized nanovaccine is developed using tumor cell-derived vesicles with dendritic-cell-like features for post-surgical immunotherapy.

## Key findings

- Syntaxin 11 enhances MHC I and co-stimulatory molecule expression on tumor cells.
- Engineered vesicles improve antigen delivery and presentation in lymphoid organs.
- The nanovaccine disrupts traditional vaccine paradigms and shows promise in preclinical models.

## Abstract

Surgical resection remains the primary treatment for most solid tumours, yet metastatic tumour cells remaining after surgery substantially contribute to cancer-related mortality and recurrence. Here we identify syntaxin 11 as a key regulator that enhances the expression of MHC I and co-stimulatory molecules CD80/CD86 on tumour cell membranes, enabling cancer cells to acquire dendritic-cell-like features. By overexpressing syntaxin 11 in autologous tumour cells obtained from surgical resections, we generated MHC Ihigh/CD80high/CD86high dendritic-cell-like cells. Utilizing the cell membranes of these modified cells, we engineered artificial dendritic-cell-like cell-derived vesicles as a personalized autologous nanovaccine for the immunotherapy of postoperative metastatic cancer. This nanovaccine substantially improves antigen delivery to lymphoid organs and enhances antigen presentation efficiency through tumour self-presentation, thereby disrupting traditional vaccine development paradigms. Our work provides a promising avenue for developing effective metastatic cancer immunotherapies and offers hope for personalized postoperative immunotherapy.

Personalized nanovaccines derived from autologous tumour cells and engineered to display dendritic cell-like features enhance immune activation and prevent postoperative metastatic cancer in preclinical models.