On the 7th, Zhejiang University announced that researchers, inspired by the principle of freeze-dried fruits and vegetables, have found a new tumor therapy that may effectively inhibit the recurrence of malignant tumors after surgery.

　　Recently, this achievement has been published in the internationally renowned journal Nature Materials. It was first proposed internationally by the team of Professor Gu Zhen and Researcher Li Hongjun from the College of Pharmaceutical Sciences of Zhejiang University and the Jinhua Institute of Zhejiang University, in collaboration with Chief Physician Zhao Peng and the team of Chen Dong from the ** Hospital affiliated with the Zhejiang University School of Medicine, namely using freeze-drying technology to turn body tissue into an active biomaterial that can then be loaded with drugs to exert therapeutic effects.

　　It is understood that in recent years, cell drugs used for targeted tumor therapy have been on the rise. For example, by installing a "probe" on immune T cells, chimeric antigen receptor T cells (also known as CAR T cells) that can precisely recognize and kill tumor cells at specific sites have been synthesized and have already been used clinically in the treatment of hematological tumors, achieving remarkable efficacy.

　　However, how CAR T cells can persistently and efficiently exert their effects at solid tumor sites has long been a difficult problem.

　　Scientists have attempted to "build" various "bunkers" near tumors that can be loaded with CAR T cells for local sustained and controlled release, but these are often hindered by factors such as physical barriers and immunosuppressive environments, as well as immune rejection reactions faced by the materials used to build the "bunkers," affecting efficacy.

　　"We were thinking, could we use some of the body's own tissues to load CAR T cells?" Gu Zhen introduced. "We first thought of the lymph nodes that often need to be cleared during tumor surgery. Using local materials in this way can also avoid rejection problems caused by exogenous carriers."

　　He admitted that the new therapy was "inspired" by freeze-dried fruits and vegetables.

　　Freeze-drying is a common method on the market for preserving fresh fruits and vegetables. Through a process of first low temperature and then vacuum, the water in fruits and vegetables is directly sublimated from ice into water vapor, thereby achieving dehydration and preservation. Freeze-drying technology can maintain the color, aroma, and taste of food and retain most of the nutrients in the food, winning the favor of many consumers.

　　In the study, after lymph nodes removed from the body were subjected to freeze-drying treatment, their porous structure and large amounts of active components were effectively retained, and they were used as a medium for storing and delivering anti-tumor cell drugs, achieving stronger and more durable therapeutic effects.

　　"The tumor-suppressive effect, the number of intratumorally activated CAR T cells, and the production of cytotoxic factors after treatment with freeze-dried lymph node-loaded CAR T cells were all significantly superior to the same dose of CAR T loaded in gel carriers," Li Hongjun said.

　　Zhao Peng said: "Freeze-drying has a 'fresh-locking' function. Freeze-dried lymph nodes also retain abundant components such as cytokines, chemokines, and ligands, which play an important role in maintaining the activity and function of CAR T cells."

　　Perhaps in the future, it will take only a few hours to complete the freeze-drying of lymph nodes and the loading of cell drugs. Even within the time of a surgical operation, drug-loaded freeze-dried lymph nodes could be filled back into the cavity left after tumor resection, serving as a CAR T cell reservoir that continuously releases drugs to clear locally residual microscopic tumors and inhibit recurrence after surgery.