Cancer vaccines have shown promise as effective means of antitumor
immunotherapy by inducing
tumor antigen-specific T cell immunity. In this study, a novel
peptide-based
tumor nanovaccine that boosts antigen presentation and elicits effective antitumor immunity is developed. The adjuvant characteristics of an
antimicrobial peptide-derived core
peptide, FK-13, are investigated and used it to generate a fusion
peptide named FK-33 with
tumor antigen epitopes.
l-phenylalanine-based poly(
ester amide) (Phe-PEA), 8p4, is also identified as a competent delivery vehicle for the fusion
peptide FK-33. Notably, the vaccination of 8p4 + FK-33 nanoparticles (8FNs) in vivo induces dendritic cell activation in the lymph nodes and elicits robust
tumor antigen-specific CD8+ T cell response. The
nanovaccine 8FNs demonstrate significant therapeutic and prophylactic efficacy against in situ
tumor growth, effectively inhibit
tumor metastasis, and significantly prolong the survival of
tumor-bearing mice. Moreover, 8FNs can incorporate different
tumor antigens and exhibit a synergistic
therapeutic effect with antiprogrammed cell death
protein 1 (PD-1)
therapy. In summary, 8FNs represent a promising platform for personalized
cancer vaccines and may serve as a potential combinational modality to improve current
immunotherapy.