Effect of intra-tumoral magnetic nanoparticle hyperthermia and viral nanoparticle immunogenicity on primary and metastatic cancer.

Although there is long association of medical hyperthermia and immune stimulation, the relative lack of a quantifiable and reproducible effect has limited the utility and advancement of this relationship in preclinical/clinical cancer and non-cancer settings. Recent cancer-based immune findings (immune checkpoint modulators etc.) including improved mechanistic understanding and biological tools now make it possible to modify and exploit the immune system to benefit conventional cancer treatments such as radiation and hyperthermia.

Hypo-fractionated Radiation, Magnetic Nanoparticle Hyperthermia and a Viral Immunotherapy Treatment of Spontaneous Canine Cancer.

It has recently been shown that cancer treatments such as radiation and hyperthermia, which have conventionally been viewed to have modest immune based anti-cancer effects, may, if used appropriately stimulate a significant and potentially effective local and systemic anti-cancer immune effect (abscopal effect) and improved prognosis. Using eight spontaneous canine cancers (2 oral melanoma, 3 oral amelioblastomas and 1 carcinomas), we have shown that hypofractionated radiation (6 x 6 Gy) and/or magnetic nanoparticle hyperthermia (2 X 43°C / 45 minutes) and/or an immunogenic virus-like nanoparticle (VLP, 2 x 200 μg) are capable of delivering a highly effective cancer treatment that includes an immunogenic component. Two tumors received all three therapeutic modalities, one tumor received radiation and hyperthermia, two tumors received radiation and VLP, and three tumors received only mNP hyperthermia.

The effect of hypofractionated radiation and magnetic nanoparticle hyperthermia on tumor immunogenicity and overall treatment response.

It is now known that many tumors develop molecular signals (immune checkpoint modulators) that inhibit an effective tumor immune response. New information also suggest that even well-known cancer treatment modalities such as radiation and hyperthermia generate potentially beneficial immune responses that have been blocked or mitigated by such immune checkpoints, or similar molecules. The cancer therapy challenge is to; a) identify these treatment-based immune signals (proteins, antigens, etc.