POS8-1654
Microneedle-Mediated Lymph Node Targeting for Synergistic Chemoimmunotherapy of Metastatic Cancer
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
Chemoimmunotherapy, which integrates cytotoxic chemotherapy with immune modulation, represents a promising approach for treating metastatic cancer by simultaneously inducing tumor cell death and enhancing antitumor immunity. However, efficient delivery of therapeutic agents to tumor-draining lymph nodes (TDLNs), a critical site for the initiation of antitumor immune responses, remains challenging. Here, we developed a dissolving microneedle (MN) platform based on an amphiphilic triblock copolymer for targeted delivery of therapeutic agents to cancer-draining lymph nodes.The MN platform generates nanomicelles (PTX/R848@NMC) that co-encapsulate paclitaxel (PTX) and the immune adjuvant resiquimod (R848), enabling their coordinated delivery to TDLNs. Following MN administration, PTX/R848@NMC promoted tumor cell death while enhancing dendritic cell activation and maturation in the lymph nodes. This coordinated modulation of tumor cytotoxicity and immune activation enhanced antitumor immune responses and improved therapeutic efficacy against metastatic cancer.Collectively, these findings demonstrate that MN-mediated lymph node targeting provides an effective strategy for integrating chemotherapy and immunotherapy and highlight the potential of the PTX/R848@NMC platform for the treatment of metastatic cancer.
