ABSTRACT
This chapter explains the various uses of nanoparticles (NPs) in cancer immunotherapy as well as different vaccination protocols. Nondegrading NPs, such as Gold NPs, silica NPs, and carbon black particles, have been investigated as nanovaccines. NPs are able to target the immunosuppressive components of the tumor microenvironment, that is, tumor-associated macrophages, mesenchymal stem cellsmyeloid-derived suppressor cells, and Tregs, in order to strengthen the immune response by exploiting the enhanced permeation and retention effect or active targeting via functionalization with a range of ligands, for example, antibodies, peptides, and aptamers. Nanovaccines in the form of improved presentation to the Tumor-associated macrophages, albeit effective, suffer from drawbacks like stability issues, inadequate translatory success, and difficulty in gaining control over the antigen presenting process to the antigen presenting cells. Nanoparticulate vaccines provide an alternative to conventional vaccine formulations, which suffer from drawbacks like inadequate stability and insufficient immune response and, thus, require adjuvants to boost immune response.
