A Smart Dendritic Cell Vaccine Gel to Prevent Breast Cancer Recurrence 智慧型樹突細胞疫苗凝膠

After breast cancer surgery, tiny leftover cancer cells can remain in the body and cause the tumor to return. We developed a soft, sponge-like gel that acts as a dendritic cell vaccine, placed directly at the surgical site to help the immune system eliminate these remaining cancer cells. Dendritic cells are “teacher” cells of the immune system—they show T cells what to attack. Our gel keeps these dendritic cells alive and active while slowly releasing chemotherapy and an immune checkpoint inhibitor, helping the immune system recognize and destroy cancer more effectively. In aggressive triple-negative breast cancer models, this strategy delayed tumor recurrence, reduced metastasis, and improved survival without major side effects. Our goal is to turn surgery into the first step of a long-lasting, cancer-fighting immune response.

乳癌手術雖然能切除主要腫瘤，但體內可能仍殘留少量癌細胞，未來有機會復發。我們設計了一種柔軟、像海綿一樣的凝膠，可以直接放在手術後的傷口位置，乘載「樹突細胞疫苗」。樹突細胞教導 T 細胞辨認並攻擊癌細胞。這種凝膠能讓樹突細胞在局部保持活性，同時緩慢釋放化療藥物和免疫檢查點抑制劑，幫助免疫系統更有效地清除殘存癌細胞。在侵略性很強的三陰性乳癌動物模型中，這種策略延緩了腫瘤復發、降低轉移，並提高存活率，而且副作用不明顯。我們希望讓手術不只是清除既有腫瘤，而是啟動一場持久的抗癌免疫戰，能有效防止腫瘤復發。

A Cryogel-Based Dendritic Cell Vaccine for Post-Surgical Breast Cancer Immunotherapy. Advanced Science e03238.