Universal Antibody‐Engineered Lipid Nanoparticles Potentiate Chemo‐Immunotherapy Against Triple‐Negative Breast Cancer by Reprogramming Tumor Cell Metabolism
Despite the promise of combining chemotherapy and immunotherapy for triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), challenges remain due to targeting deficiencies and accelerated T cell exhaustion within the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment (TME). To address these limitations, we developed a drug-encapsulated lipid nanoparticle (LNP) system to reprogram tumor metabolism and reverse acquired immune tolerance. This LNP encapsulates the cytotoxic agent monomethyl auristatin E (MA) and the immunomodulator metformin (Met), followed by conjugated to a human receptor tyrosine kinase-like orphan receptor 1 antibody (ROR1 Ab) via an acid-labile linker. ROR1 Ab-mediated active targeting enables precise tumor localization through NIR-II fluorescence imaging, and enhances chemotherapeutic efficacy while minimizing off-target toxicity. Critically, metformin incorporated into the lipid formulation inhibits both membrane and cytoplasmic PD-L1 expression and reduces TGF-β1 levels by suppressing mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS), thereby restoring T lymphocyte activity and amplifying the immune response. This work demonstrates a novel approach to enhance TNBC treatment through targeted modulation of tumor metabolism and immune activation.
Authors
- Lipeng Zhu
- Yeneng Dai
- Guanda Jiao
- Shengyu Fu
- Qi Zhao
- Kam Tong Leung
- Yuheng Gu
- Yang Liu
- Xing Fan
- Yu Liu
- Ziang Guo
- Jialin Li
- Jiaqi Wang
Institutions
- Central South University (CN)
- Chinese University of Hong Kong (HK)
- University of Macau (MO)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Advanced Science
- Published
- 2026-01-27
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1002/advs.202518468
- Primary Topic
- Phagocytosis and Immune Regulation
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00
Funders
- United Mitochondrial Disease Foundation
- Natural Science Foundation of Guangdong Province
- Universidade de Macau
- Natural Science Foundation of Hunan Province
- Fundo para o Desenvolvimento das Ciências e da Tecnologia