Melanoma immunotherapy by nanosphere-vaccine elicited CD4+ and CD8+ T-cell response for tumor regression

Abstract

Melanoma, driven by defective immune surveillance and cancer-cell evasion, has rising morbidity and mortality due to solar radiation exposure and delayed diagnosis. Effective tumor opsonization and phagocytosis are needed, demanding new therapeutic formulations. Here, we demonstrate the efficacy of a novel lipid-coated glucose nanosphere (LGNP) formulation decorated with ovalbumin (OVA) and containing pCMV-MART-1 (MT-1), termed the nLOM vaccine. This vaccine elicits specific immune responses through bone marrow DC maturation and CD4+/CD8+ T-cell activation, targeting melanoma antigens. In preclinical studies using orthotopic B16-F10 melanoma cells in C57BL/6J mice, the vaccine induced significant infiltration of T lymphocytes into tumor tissues, reducing tumor progression. Robust immune responses were observed in the spleens and inguinal lymph nodes of vaccinated mice, characterized by elevated cytokine levels. These findings suggest that the nLOM vaccine could elicit durable immunogenicity against melanoma through enhanced antigen presentation and holds promise for clinical development as an effective immunotherapy.