journal article·2025-08Open access

Immunity‐Modulating Metal‐Based Nanomaterials for Cancer Immunotherapy

Xing Sun, Xican Xu, Fengying Li, Hongyu Wang, Yun Sun, Haokun Yang, Xiaoxu Li, Bo Kong, Hongwei Hou, Huiyu Liu, Jinghong Li

Advanced Functional Materials· Volume 35· Issue 31

Abstract

Abstract Cancer immunotherapy, which leverages the body's immune system to combat cancer, offers the promise of lower toxicity and higher therapeutic efficacy compared to conventional treatments. However, current immunotherapeutic approaches face significant challenges including variable patient response, immune‐related adverse events, and high costs, underscoring the urgent need for innovative strategies. Metal‐based nanomaterials have emerged as a promising avenue in cancer immunotherapy due to their unique physicochemical properties and immune‐regulating capabilities. Despite their potential, concerns about toxicity, incomplete understanding of their immune modulation mechanisms, and early‐stage design strategies hinder their clinical translation. This review summarizes recent advancements in metal‐based nanomaterials for cancer immunotherapy, elucidates the mechanisms by which they enhance antitumor immunity responses, and explores the potential synergistic effects of combining multiple metals. We also discuss key challenges and future perspectives for clinical application, aiming to provide a theoretical foundation for the development of metal‐based immunotherapies and to promote their broader application in cancer treatment.
Source: crossref · Quality: baseline

Research context

OpenAlex topics: Nanoplatforms for cancer theranostics · Immune cells in cancer · Immunotherapy and Immune Responses

SciVX discovery tags are terminology-based. OpenAlex topics are source-provided classifications.

Affiliations

Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Soft Matter Science and Engineering State Key Laboratory of Organic‐Inorganic Composites Beijing Laboratory of Biomedical Materials Bionanomaterials & Translational Engineering Laboratory Beijing Key Laboratory of Bioprocess Beijing University of Chemical Technology Beijing 100029 P. R. China

Beijing Life Science Academy Beijing 102209 China

Department of Chemical Engineering Tsinghua University Beijing 100084 China

Department of Chemistry Center for Bioanalytical Chemistry Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Phosphorus Chemistry and Chemical Biology (Ministry of Education) Tsinghua University Beijing 100084 China

Center for BioAnalytical Chemistry Hefei National Laboratory of Physical Science at Microscale University of Science and Technology of China Hefei 230026 China

Beijing Institute of Life Science and Technology Beijing 102206 China

Funding

National Natural Science Foundation of China · Beijing Nova Program · Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities · Beijing University of Chemical Technology

References (100+)

Show source-provided references
1. International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) Global cancer burden growing amidst mounting need for services https://www.iarc.who.int/featured‐news/global‐cancer‐burden‐growing‐amidst‐mounting‐need‐for‐services (accessed: February 2024).
2. 10.3389/fimmu.2019.0296510.3389/fimmu.2019.02965 ↗
3. 10.1038/s41577-023-00973-810.1038/s41577-023-00973-8 ↗
4. 10.3390/cancers1416397210.3390/cancers14163972 ↗
5. 10.1038/s41568-019-0186-910.1038/s41568-019-0186-9 ↗
6. 10.1002/smll.20190026210.1002/smll.201900262 ↗
7. 10.1002/EXP.2023013410.1002/EXP.20230134 ↗
8. 10.1002/adma.20190279110.1002/adma.201902791 ↗
9. 10.1126/sciadv.aaz446210.1126/sciadv.aaz4462 ↗
10. 10.1002/EXP.2022008610.1002/EXP.20220086 ↗
11. 10.1039/c3nr00357d10.1039/c3nr00357d ↗
12. 10.1002/wnan.175210.1002/wnan.1752 ↗
13. 10.1002/VIW.2020012010.1002/VIW.20200120 ↗
14. 10.1002/advs.20240488610.1002/advs.202404886 ↗
15. 10.1016/j.cej.2023.14716110.1016/j.cej.2023.147161 ↗
16. 10.1038/s41551-024-01221-710.1038/s41551-024-01221-7 ↗
17. 10.1038/s41565-021-00962-910.1038/s41565-021-00962-9 ↗
18. 10.1002/adhm.20240042110.1002/adhm.202400421 ↗
19. 10.1002/advs.20230296710.1002/advs.202302967 ↗
20. 10.1002/adma.20240325310.1002/adma.202403253 ↗
21. 10.1002/advs.20230998410.1002/advs.202309984 ↗
22. 10.1016/j.nantod.2023.10203310.1016/j.nantod.2023.102033 ↗
23. 10.1016/j.ccr.2021.21434510.1016/j.ccr.2021.214345 ↗
24. 10.1016/j.ccr.2024.21631910.1016/j.ccr.2024.216319 ↗
25. 10.1016/j.jconrel.2024.09.00810.1016/j.jconrel.2024.09.008 ↗
26. 10.1016/j.immuni.2013.07.01210.1016/j.immuni.2013.07.012 ↗
27. 10.1016/j.smim.2022.10170710.1016/j.smim.2022.101707 ↗
28. 10.1038/s41591-022-01765-810.1038/s41591-022-01765-8 ↗
29. 10.1038/s41423-020-0488-610.1038/s41423-020-0488-6 ↗
30. 10.1016/j.cell.2020.03.00110.1016/j.cell.2020.03.001 ↗
31. 10.1126/science.abq699010.1126/science.abq6990 ↗
32. 10.1038/s41586-019-1671-810.1038/s41586-019-1671-8 ↗
33. 10.1016/j.immuni.2021.11.01510.1016/j.immuni.2021.11.015 ↗
34. 10.1158/2159-8290.CD-20-075610.1158/2159-8290.CD-20-0756 ↗
35. 10.1038/nrc.2015.510.1038/nrc.2015.5 ↗
36. 10.1158/0008-5472.CAN-20-299010.1158/0008-5472.CAN-20-2990 ↗
37. 10.3390/molecules2401000910.3390/molecules24010009 ↗
38. 10.12703/P6-1310.12703/P6-13 ↗
39. 10.1038/nri244810.1038/nri2448 ↗
40. 10.1158/1078-0432.CCR-11-135410.1158/1078-0432.CCR-11-1354 ↗
41. 10.1038/cr.2016.15710.1038/cr.2016.157 ↗
42. 10.1038/s41577-019-0210-z10.1038/s41577-019-0210-z ↗
43. 10.1146/annurev.immunol.26.021607.09035710.1146/annurev.immunol.26.021607.090357 ↗
44. 10.1038/s41577-022-00680-w10.1038/s41577-022-00680-w ↗
45. 10.1042/CS2011034010.1042/CS20110340 ↗
46. 10.1038/nri160410.1038/nri1604 ↗
47. 10.1038/s41467-021-26112-210.1038/s41467-021-26112-2 ↗
48. 10.1038/s43018-023-00570-710.1038/s43018-023-00570-7 ↗
49. 10.1038/s41577-022-00792-310.1038/s41577-022-00792-3 ↗
50. 10.1038/nrc125210.1038/nrc1252 ↗
51. 10.1164/rccm.201309-1611OC10.1164/rccm.201309-1611OC ↗
52. 10.1016/j.cell.2018.11.04310.1016/j.cell.2018.11.043 ↗
53. 10.1158/2326-6066.CIR-18-051710.1158/2326-6066.CIR-18-0517 ↗
54. 10.1016/j.coi.2007.01.00110.1016/j.coi.2007.01.001 ↗
55. 10.1126/science.280.5361.24310.1126/science.280.5361.243 ↗
56. 10.1038/s41577-020-0306-510.1038/s41577-020-0306-5 ↗
57. 10.1016/S0140-6736(21)01206-X10.1016/S0140-6736(21)01206-X ↗
58. 10.1158/2159-8290.CD-18-036710.1158/2159-8290.CD-18-0367 ↗
59. 10.3389/fonc.2018.0008610.3389/fonc.2018.00086 ↗
60. 10.1038/nm.430810.1038/nm.4308 ↗
61. 10.1038/ncomms1050110.1038/ncomms10501 ↗
62. 10.3389/fimmu.2019.0012810.3389/fimmu.2019.00128 ↗
63. 10.1038/nri319110.1038/nri3191 ↗
64. 10.1038/s41568-020-00323-z10.1038/s41568-020-00323-z ↗
65. 10.1186/s13045-017-0423-110.1186/s13045-017-0423-1 ↗
66. 10.1111/imr.1277210.1111/imr.12772 ↗
67. 10.1158/1078-0432.CCR-21-016410.1158/1078-0432.CCR-21-0164 ↗
68. 10.1016/S1470-2045(13)70585-010.1016/S1470-2045(13)70585-0 ↗
69. 10.1016/B978-0-12-407190-2.00007-110.1016/B978-0-12-407190-2.00007-1 ↗
70. 10.1186/s13045-022-01247-x10.1186/s13045-022-01247-x ↗
71. 10.1126/science.184070310.1126/science.1840703 ↗
72. 10.1126/sciadv.aba402410.1126/sciadv.aba4024 ↗
73. 10.1126/science.aar711210.1126/science.aar7112 ↗
74. 10.1002/adfm.20221222610.1002/adfm.202212226 ↗
75. 10.1038/s41423-023-01048-310.1038/s41423-023-01048-3 ↗
76. 10.1021/jacs.1c0045110.1021/jacs.1c00451 ↗
77. 10.1021/jacs.2c1017710.1021/jacs.2c10177 ↗
78. 10.1021/jacs.6b1098310.1021/jacs.6b10983 ↗
79. 10.1126/science.aan541210.1126/science.aan5412 ↗
80. 10.1007/s40820-021-00674-810.1007/s40820-021-00674-8 ↗
81. 10.1002/adfm.20200440810.1002/adfm.202004408 ↗
82. 10.1016/j.biomaterials.2024.12253310.1016/j.biomaterials.2024.122533 ↗
83. 10.1002/smll.20220091510.1002/smll.202200915 ↗
84. 10.1021/acs.nanolett.2c0216110.1021/acs.nanolett.2c02161 ↗
85. 10.1038/s41467-024-45668-310.1038/s41467-024-45668-3 ↗
86. 10.1021/acsnano.3c0776310.1021/acsnano.3c07763 ↗
87. 10.1002/advs.20240135110.1002/advs.202401351 ↗
88. 10.1002/adma.20230593210.1002/adma.202305932 ↗
89. 10.1021/acsnano.2c0801310.1021/acsnano.2c08013 ↗
90. 10.1038/s41467-022-30436-y10.1038/s41467-022-30436-y ↗
91. 10.1016/j.biomaterials.2023.12233310.1016/j.biomaterials.2023.122333 ↗
92. 10.1021/acsami.2c1949510.1021/acsami.2c19495 ↗
93. 10.1002/adfm.20210736310.1002/adfm.202107363 ↗
94. 10.1002/adma.20240990610.1002/adma.202409906 ↗
95. 10.1039/D3MH00592E10.1039/D3MH00592E ↗
96. 10.1038/nnano.2016.16010.1038/nnano.2016.160 ↗
97. 10.1002/advs.20220654610.1002/advs.202206546 ↗
98. 10.1007/s10311-020-01033-610.1007/s10311-020-01033-6 ↗
99. 10.1186/s12943-023-01797-910.1186/s12943-023-01797-9 ↗
100. 10.1002/smll.20220662410.1002/smll.202206624 ↗