Cancer immunotherapy has expanded beyond T cells to include innate immune cells such as NK cells, which can kill tumor cells without prior antigen sensitization. However, the solid tumor microenvironment employs multiple mechanisms, such as checkpoint ligands and suppressive cytokines, to blunt NK cell activity. Our work addresses these challenges by developing a membrane-fusogenic liposome (Flip) that endows NK cells with two complementary functions in a single engineering step. This platform simultaneously counteracts tumor immune evasion at the cell surface (via sialic acid masking) and immunosuppression within the tumor microenvironment (via intracellular blockade of TGF-β signaling). In preclinical models, these multifunctional NK cells not only eradicated tumors more effectively but also promoted an adaptive T cell response, suggesting broader immune reactivation. The Flip approach is modular and could be tailored to match a patient’s tumor profile with different targeting ligands or payloads, exemplifying a strategy for personalized and multiplexed cell therapy. By overcoming multiple immunosuppressive barriers, this work points toward next-generation adoptive cell immunotherapies for solid tumors and other complex disease microenvironments
InvivoChem is proud to supply Galunisertib/LY2157299(inhibitor of the TGFβ; V1360) ,a high-quality research tool compound, for this study.
Reference: Cell Biomaterials, DOI: 10.1016/j.celbio.2026.100448
