Imaging-Guided Advanced Nanomaterials for Precision Cancer Immunotherapy
A special issue of Bioengineering (ISSN 2306-5354). This special issue belongs to the section "Nanobiotechnology and Biofabrication".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 October 2026 | Viewed by 185
Editors
Interests: nano biotechnology; nanomedicine; organic chemistry; bioimaging; biosensor
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Interests: plasmonic nanomaterials; surface enhanced Raman scattering; biosensing; bioimaging
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Cancer immunotherapy has transformed oncology by harnessing the immune system to recognize and eliminate malignant cells. However, its clinical success remains limited by challenges such as immune suppression within the tumor microenvironment, inadequate immune cell infiltration, systemic toxicity, and heterogeneous patient responses. Addressing these barriers requires innovative strategies that integrate immunology with materials science, bioengineering, and advanced bioimaging technologies.
In this context, advanced nanomaterials have emerged as powerful platforms capable of modulating immune responses with high spatial, temporal, and molecular precision. Their tunable physicochemical properties, including size, surface chemistry, and responsiveness to biological cues, enable targeted delivery of immunotherapeutics while simultaneously supporting real-time visualization of immune activation and therapeutic responses through integrated bioimaging modalities.
Recent advances demonstrate the potential of nanomaterial-based systems to enhance cancer immunotherapy by improving the delivery of immunomodulators, cancer vaccines, immune checkpoint inhibitors, cytokines, and nucleic acids. Importantly, the integration of bioimaging techniques such as photoacoustic imaging, fluorescence imaging, and other multimodal platforms allows the dynamic monitoring of immune cell trafficking, nanoparticle biodistribution, and treatment efficacy at the molecular and tissue levels. Stimuli-responsive and biomimetic nanoplatforms can further enable selective activation of immune pathways within the tumor microenvironment, helping to overcome immune evasion while minimizing off-target effects.
This Special Issue, Imaging-Guided Advanced Nanomaterials for Precision Cancer Immunotherapy, will highlight cutting-edge research at the intersection of nanotechnology, bioengineering, cancer immunology, and molecular imaging. We welcome original research articles and comprehensive reviews covering, but not limited to, immune-responsive nanomaterials, nanoparticle-enabled modulation of innate and adaptive immunity, nano-enabled cancer vaccines, combination immunotherapies, and imaging-guided immunotherapy strategies. Contributions that emphasize mechanistic insight, rational design, quantitative bioimaging analysis, and in vivo validation are particularly encouraged.
By bringing together multidisciplinary perspectives, this Special Issue will advance understanding of how engineered nanomaterials, coupled with advanced bioimaging approaches, can be leveraged to reprogram the immune system, enable real-time therapeutic monitoring, and accelerate the development of safer, more effective cancer immunotherapies.
Dr. Praveen Kumar Panangattukara Prabhakaran
Prof. Dr. Dong-Kwon Lim
Guest Editors
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Keywords
- cancer immunotherapy
- nanomedicine
- bioimaging
- molecular imaging
- imaging-guided immunotherapy
- advanced nanomaterials
- tumor microenvironment
- immune modulation
- immune-responsive nanomaterials
- combination immunotherapy
- translational nanotechnology
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