Nano-in-Micro GelMA depots assist electro-thermal-immuno orchestral treatment for solid triple negative breast tumor

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) exhibits high local-recurrence risk despite modern systemic therapy assisted with surgery or irradiation therapy. Here, we report an injectable nano-in-micro microsphere depot (cPAG) that integrates conductivity enhancement, photothermal conversion, O<sub>2</sub> and reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, and innate immune agonist co-delivery to support staged, local multimodal therapy. Monodispersed Au@GelMA microspheres prepared <i>via</i> microfluidics and photocrosslinking reduced high electrostatic resistance of GelMA hydrogels and provided stable 808 nm laser-responsive heating. The porous surface possessed abundant electrostatic adsorption sites for loading MnO<sub>x</sub> nanoflowers and anionic stimulator of interferon genes (STING) agonist. MnO<sub>x</sub> nanoflowers catalyzed H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub> to generate O<sub>2,</sub> produced free radical signals and increased pro-inflammatory cytokines secretion <i>in vitro</i>. Co-delivery of agonist and MnO<sub>x</sub> nanoparticles further increased interferon-β secretion, consistent with induction of type I interferon response. In a 4T1 residual-tumor model established by partial tumor resection, a staged regimen consisting of cPAG-assisted irreversible electroporation followed by cPAG-mediated photothermal therapy showed the strongest suppression of local tumor regrowth among tested groups, with maintained body weight during the study window. Overall, cPAG provides a modular nano-in-micro depot strategy to integrate multiple local treatments for postoperative control of TNBC tumor.

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Journal
Materials Today Bio
Published
2026-01-30
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mtbio.2026.102848
Primary Topic
Nanoplatforms for cancer theranostics
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article
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article

Nano-in-Micro GelMA depots assist electro-thermal-immuno orchestral treatment for solid triple negative breast tumor

Yuewen Zhu, Siyu Fan, Chao Lin, Hélder A. Santos et al.
Materials Today Bio
Nanoplatforms for cancer theranostics
article

Nano-in-Micro GelMA depots assist electro-thermal-immuno orchestral treatment for solid triple negative breast tumor

Yuewen Zhu, Siyu Fan, Chao Lin, Hélder A. Santos, Huijie Han, Jiachen Li, Ruixue Wang, Mohammad-Ali Shahbazi, Ana Catarina Rodrigues da Silva, Wenguo Cui, Romana Schirhagl, Guimei Jiang, Marc C.A. Stuart, Lígia Raquel Marona Rodrigues, Yaping Zhuang
article en

Abstract

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) exhibits high local-recurrence risk despite modern systemic therapy assisted with surgery or irradiation therapy. Here, we report an injectable nano-in-micro microsphere depot (cPAG) that integrates conductivity enhancement, photothermal conversion, O<sub>2</sub> and reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, and innate immune agonist co-delivery to support staged, local multimodal therapy. Monodispersed Au@GelMA microspheres prepared <i>via</i> microfluidics and photocrosslinking reduced high electrostatic resistance of GelMA hydrogels and provided stable 808 nm laser-responsive heating. The porous surface possessed abundant electrostatic adsorption sites for loading MnO<sub>x</sub> nanoflowers and anionic stimulator of interferon genes (STING) agonist. MnO<sub>x</sub> nanoflowers catalyzed H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub> to generate O<sub>2,</sub> produced free radical signals and increased pro-inflammatory cytokines secretion <i>in vitro</i>. Co-delivery of agonist and MnO<sub>x</sub> nanoparticles further increased interferon-β secretion, consistent with induction of type I interferon response. In a 4T1 residual-tumor model established by partial tumor resection, a staged regimen consisting of cPAG-assisted irreversible electroporation followed by cPAG-mediated photothermal therapy showed the strongest suppression of local tumor regrowth among tested groups, with maintained body weight during the study window. Overall, cPAG provides a modular nano-in-micro depot strategy to integrate multiple local treatments for postoperative control of TNBC tumor.

Materials Today BioVol. 37
Jiangnan University (CN), University Medical Center Groningen (NL), University of Groningen (NL), Shanghai Jiao Tong University (CN), Ruijin Hospital (CN), Beijing University of Technology (CN), International Peace Maternity & Child Health Hospital (CN), University of Minho (PT)
Good health and well-being
Openalex Percentile: Top 73%
Nanoplatforms for cancer theranostics
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