Nitric Oxide Nanogel Breaks Protective Shield in Pancreatic Cancer 一氧化氮奈米凝膠消化胰臟癌的防護屏障

Pancreatic cancer is extremely difficult to treat because it builds a thick, fibrotic barrier around itself that blocks drugs and immune cells. We developed a smart nanogel that delivers nitric oxide (NO) directly to this tumor stroma. NO acts like a “softening signal”—it relaxes and remodels the dense scar-like tissue, improves blood flow, and makes cancer cells more sensitive to therapy. At the same time, the nanogel carries TRAIL, a protein that selectively triggers cancer cell death. By using NO to break down the tumor’s defense system, we help therapeutic proteins penetrate deeper and work more effectively. Our goal is to use nitric oxide to turn one of pancreatic cancer’s biggest obstacles into a therapeutic opportunity.

胰臟癌之所以難以治療，是因為腫瘤周圍形成一層厚厚的纖維化基質，像一道堅硬的「防護牆」，阻擋藥物與免疫細胞進入。我們開發了一種智慧型奈米凝膠，能將一氧化氮（NO）精準送入腫瘤間質。NO 提供一種「軟化訊號」，可以重新調整並減少過度纖維化的組織，改善腫瘤內的血流，同時讓癌細胞對治療更敏感。這個奈米凝膠同時攜帶 TRAIL 蛋白，能選擇性誘導癌細胞凋亡。透過NO 打破腫瘤的防禦系統，我們讓治療藥物更容易深入腫瘤核心並發揮效果。將胰臟癌最堅固的屏障，轉化為治療的突破口。

Reversal of Pancreatic Desmoplasia by a Tumor Stroma-targeted Nitric Oxide Nanogel Overcomes TRAIL Resistance in Pancreatic Tumors. Gut 71 (9), 1843-1855