POS8-1653
In Situ Nanomicelle-Forming Microneedles for Enhanced Antitumor Vaccination
Topic
S8. Frontiers of Functional Polymers in Biology and Medicine
When and Where
Oct 1, 2026
08:30 - 09:30
Room 301 (Grand Ballroom)
Session Chairs
Jinkee HONG
Ki Su KIM
Presenter(s)
Pin Liu (Sungkyunkwan University)
Co-Author(s)
Abstract
Dissolving microneedles (DMNs) have emerged as a promising minimally invasive platform for transdermal drug delivery owing to their simple fabrication, rapid dissolution, and efficient cargo release within the skin. However, the delivery of hydrophobic immunomodulators remains challenging because conventional DMNs are primarily composed of water-soluble polymers. Here, we developed amphiphilic polymer-based DMNs capable of co-delivering the hydrophobic adjuvant R848 and the hydrophilic cancer model antigen ovalbumin (OVA). The resulting DMNs efficiently incorporated and released both components following intradermal administration. In EG7-OVA tumor-bearing mice, treatment with R848/OVA-loaded amphiphilic DMNs elicited robust antigen-specific humoral and cellular immune responses, resulting in significant suppression of tumor growth. These findings demonstrate that amphiphilic DMNs provide a versatile transdermal platform for the co-delivery of hydrophobic adjuvants and hydrophilic antigens, offering a promising strategy for enhanced cancer vaccination and immunotherapy.
