Dual Immunostimulatory Pathway Agonism through a Synthetic Nanocarrier Triggers Robust Anti-Tumor Immunity in Murine Glioblastoma

Myeloid cells are abundant, create a highly immunosuppressive environment in glioblastoma and thus contribute to poor immunotherapy responses. Based on the hypothesis that small molecules can be used to stimulate myeloid cells to elicit anti-tumor effector functions, we developed a synthetic nanoparticle approach to deliver dual NF-kB pathway-inducing agents into these cells via systemic administration. Synthetic, cyclodextrin-adjuvant nanoconstructs (CANDI) with high affinity for tumor-associated myeloid cells were dually loaded with a TLR7 and 8 (Toll-like Receptor, 7 and 8) agonist (R848) and a cIAP (cellular inhibitor of Apoptosis protein) inhibitor (LCL-161) to dually activate these myeloid cells. Here we show that CANDI: i) readily enters the glioblastoma tumor microenvironment and accumulates at high concentrations, ii) is taken up by tumor-associated myeloid cells, iii) potently synergizes payloads compared to monotherapy, iv) activates myeloid cells, v) fosters a "hot" tumor microenvironment with high levels of T effector cells, and vi) controls the growth of murine GBM as mono- and combination therapies with anti-PD1. Multi-pathway targeted myeloid stimulation via the CANDI platform can efficiently drive anti-tumor immunity in GBM. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.