
Figure "Collagenase nano gel backpack" CAR-T cell preparation and
anti-tumor mechanism
With the support of National Natural Science Foundation of China projects
(approval numbers: 22272091, U24A20732, 82061148009), Professor Luan Yuxia's
team from the School of Pharmacy at Shandong University has made progress in the
research of CAR-T cell therapy for solid tumors. Related achievements are
entitled "A collagenase nano gel backpack improves CAR-T cell thermal outcomes
in pancreatic cancer", which was published online in Nature Nanotechnology on
May 19, 2025 https://www.nature.com/articles/s41565-025-01924-1 .
CAR-T cell therapy (Chimeric Antigen Receptor T-cell Therapy) is a
revolutionary tumor immunotherapy approach that has shown significant efficacy
in hematological malignancies such as leukemia, lymphoma, and multiple myeloma.
However, its application in solid tumors (such as pancreatic cancer, lung
cancer, etc.) still faces major challenges. The main obstacles include tumor
microenvironment barrier, insufficient T cell infiltration and poor positioning,
which lead to limited therapeutic effect.
In view of the above problems, the collagenase nano gel backpack delivery
system developed by the research team of Shandong University has significantly
improved the therapeutic effect of CAR-T cells in pancreatic cancer models by
enhancing their tumor penetration ability. The research shows that this
technology degrades the tumor matrix barrier by releasing collagenase through
nano gel, so that CAR-T cells can enter the core area of tumor more efficiently,
thus enhancing their killing ability. The tumor infiltration rate of CAR-T cells
using this technology is about 5 times higher than that of free CAR-T cells,
significantly inhibiting tumor growth and prolonging the survival of tumor
bearing mice.