Bio‐hybrid Nanostructures Orchestrate Photodynamic Remodeling of the Fusobacterium nucleatum ‐Associated Colorectal Tumor Niche
The intratumoral microbiota acts as a microbial immune checkpoint in colorectal cancer (CRC), yet current strategies either kill silently without immune activation or permit bacterial rebound through incomplete targeting. Here we report a bio-hybrid assembly designed to synchronize the eradication of CRC cells and their tumor-associated Fusobacterium nucleatum. This system integrates a hemoglobin (Hb)-augmented aggregation-induced emission (AIE) photosensitizing module into cRGD-functionalized ginger-derived vesicles. This architecture couples Hb-associated oxygen availability with molecular confinement of the photosensitizer while harnessing the intrinsic anti-inflammatory components of the plant carrier to mitigate off-target toxicity. Light activation initiates a dual cascade: it induces lysosomal pyroptosis in malignant cells and disrupts key F. nucleatum pathways related to membrane transport and DNA repair. This synchronized killing elicits the coordinated release of damage- and pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs), effectively transforming an immunologically cold tumor into a robust in situ vaccine that drives dendritic cell maturation and systemic T-cell immunity. Our findings demonstrate that the integration of natural bioactivity with supramolecular engineering provides a biocompatible strategy for coordinated tumor-bacterial disruption and immunogenic remodeling of the F. nucleatum-associated tumor niche in CRC.
Authors
- Jiannan Xu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0586-6703)
- Binbin Wei
- Maliang Tao
- Bo Situ (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4623-9530)
- Lei Zheng (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2576-8780)
- Ben Zhong Tang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0293-964X)
- Yuan Zhong (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0009-5422-7407)
- Bairong He (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2995-1964)
- Junjie Feng
- Yixuan Yu
- Jiale Du
- Hang Zou (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0003-4227-0607)
- Ye Yang
- Ziliang Huang
- Yanxuan Xiao
Institutions
- Sun Yat-sen University (CN)
- Sichuan University (CN)
- West China Hospital of Sichuan University (CN)
- Nanfang Hospital (CN)
- Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen (CN)
- Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center (CN)
- Guangdong Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CN)
- Shenzhen Second People's Hospital (CN)
- Southern Medical University (CN)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Advanced Materials
- Published
- 2026-09-17
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1002/adma.74928
- Primary Topic
- Nanoplatforms for cancer theranostics
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00
Funders
- National Natural Science Foundation of China
- National Key Research and Development Program of China