Whole-Component Antigen Nanovaccines Combined With aTIGIT for Enhanced Innate and Adaptive Anti-tumor Immunity

Using entire tumor cells or tissues that display both common and patient-specific antigens can potentially trigger a comprehensive and long-lasting anti-tumor immune response. However, the limited immunogenicity, low uptake efficiency, and susceptibility to degradation of whole-component antigens present significant challenges. In this study, we employed tumor lysates (TLs) as whole-component antigens, in conjunction with MgAl-layered double hydroxide (MA) as nanoadjuvants and Mn 2+ as immunostimulants, to create personalized MMAT (Mn 2+ -MA-TLs) nanovaccines. After subcutaneous injection of MMAT nanovaccines, the high local concentrations of TLs and Mn 2+ facilitated the recruitment and activation of antigen-presenting cells (APCs), thereby inducing a robust adaptive immune response. Remarkably, MMAT nanovaccines enabled lysosomal escape, enhanced antigen cross-presentation, and activated the cyclic GMP-AMP synthase (cGAS)-stimulator of interferon genes (STING) pathway in APCs. Furthermore, MMAT nanovaccines, when combined with the anti-TIGIT monoclonal antibody (aTIGIT), an immune checkpoint inhibitor, not only stimulated T-cell-based adaptive anti-tumor immune responses but also activated the NK-cell-based innate anti-tumor immunity, effectively suppressing tumor growth, recurrence, and metastasis. Thus, the ternary MMAT nanovaccines developed here introduced a pioneered paradigm for the rapid preparation of whole-component tumor antigens with nanoadjuvants and immunostimulants into nanovaccines, offering new prospects for clinical immunotherapies.