Nanomaterials in Modern Immunotherapy: Innovations, Applications, and Future Perspectives

Dear Colleagues,

The convergence of nanotechnology and immunology has catalyzed a new era of therapeutic interventions, offering unprecedented precision and efficacy. Nanomaterials are at the forefront of this revolution, engineered to modulate immune responses, enhance the delivery of therapeutics, and overcome the limitations of conventional treatments for a host of diseases, most notably cancer. The unique physicochemical properties of nanomaterials allow for the design of sophisticated systems capable of targeted delivery to specific immune cells, controlled release of immunomodulatory agents, and the co-delivery of antigens and adjuvants to elicit robust and durable immune responses.

Recent advancements have highlighted the potential of various nanoplatforms, including lipid-based nanoparticles, polymeric nanocarriers, and inorganic nanomaterials in applications such as cancer vaccines, adoptive cell therapies, and immune checkpoint blockade. These technologies are not only improving the therapeutic window of existing immunotherapies but are also enabling novel strategies like personalized cancer vaccines based on neoantigens.

This Special Issue aims to bring together cutting-edge research and comprehensive reviews that explore the latest developments in the application of nanomaterials in immunotherapy. We invite contributions that cover the design, characterization, and application of nanomaterials for immunomodulation. We welcome both original research articles and review papers. Potential topics include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Design and synthesis of novel immunomodulatory nanomaterials;
• Nanoparticle-based cancer vaccines (including mRNA, peptide, and whole-cell vaccines) ;
• Targeted delivery of immune checkpoint inhibitors using nanocarriers;
• Nanomaterials for enhancing adoptive cell therapies (e.g., CAR-T);
• Smart nanomaterials responsive to the tumor microenvironment;
• Inorganic and organic nanoparticles in immunotherapy (e.g., gold nanoparticles, liposomes, polymers);
• Nanomaterials for modulating the tumor microenvironment and targeting cancer-associated fibroblasts;
• Preclinical and clinical studies of nano-immunotherapeutics;
• Safety, toxicity, and regulatory aspects of immunomodulatory nanomaterials;
• Multifunctional nanomaterials for combined chemo-immunotherapy or theranostics.

Dr. Nitin Charbe
Dr. Sushesh Srivatsa Palakurthi
Guest Editors

Dr. Sumedha Kapre
Guest Editor Assistant

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