Bacteria-Derived Nanobody-Decorated Nanoplatform Restores T Cell Immunity Post-Radiotherapy

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Authors: Jinzhou Cai, Xiangming Han, Yu Zhang, Rui Qian, Siqi Ma, Zetong Chen, Yujie Zhang, Pei Pei, Kai Yang
Cited by: 1
References: 61

Abstract

T cell exhaustion within the tumor immune microenvironment (TIME) impairs the efficacy of radioimmunotherapy. Here, we demonstrate that X-ray radiotherapy induces arginine metabolic dysregulation and PD-L1 upregulation in the tumor microenvironment (TME), suppressing T cell metabolism and driving the expansion of PD-1 + TIM-3 + exhausted T cells, thereby promoting immunosuppression. To address this, we design a biomimetic hybrid immunomodulator (arg/B nb -L) by engineering BL-21 bacterial membranes to display PD-L1 nanobodies and fusing them with l -arginine-loaded liposomes. This nanoplatform simultaneously blocks PD-1/PD-L1 immune checkpoint signaling and restores T cell metabolic activity while promoting dendritic cell maturation. In murine tumor models, arg/B nb -L combined with radiotherapy significantly enhances CD8 + T cell infiltration, reduces exhausted T cell populations, maintains cytotoxic T lymphocyte function, and inhibits tumor progression and metastasis. Our study elucidates a dual mechanism underlying radiotherapy-induced immunosuppression and offers a promising strategy to enhance radioimmunotherapy outcomes through targeted metabolic and immunologic reprogramming.

Fields of Study & Subjects

Cancer Research and Treatments Nanoplatforms for cancer theranostics Cancer Immunotherapy and Biomarkers

Publication details

Journal / source
ACS Nano
Publisher
American Chemical Society (ACS)
Volume
20
Issue
9
Pages
8026–8044
Publication date
26 February 2026
Language
EN