Material Engineering in Cancer Immunotherapy

This lecture covers the means tumors use to evade immune pressure, the history of cancer immunotherapies, the concept of drug delivery, and the role of PEGylation in controlling pharmacokinetics. It also discusses challenges in targeted delivery to metastatic cancer, strategies for systemic targeting, and the enhanced permeation and retention effect in tumors. The lecture explores the impact of nanoparticle size and shape on penetration in tumors, as well as the use of nanoparticle immune agonists for effective and safe cancer treatment. It delves into the efficacy and challenges of checkpoint inhibitors, the toxicity of cytokines, and the potential of hydrogels for drug delivery in cancer immunotherapy.