KIU Publications

Immune checkpoint blockade has revolutionized cancer therapy by reactivating antitumor immunity, yet durable clinical responses remain limited to a subset of patients. Resistance arises from immune-suppressive tumor microenvironments, systemic toxicity, inadequate drug delivery, and adaptive immune escape mechanisms. Nano-immunoengineering has emerged as a powerful interdisciplinary strategy to address these limitations by integrating immunology, nanotechnology, and systems-level tumor biology. Programmable nanoparticles can be rationally designed to modulate immune checkpoints with high spatial, temporal, and cellular precision, enabling selective immune activation while minimizing off-target effects. These nanoplatforms facilitate targeted delivery of checkpoint inhibitors, gene regulators, peptides, and immunomodulatory agents, while also allowing co-delivery of synergistic therapeutics that reshape the tumor immune landscape. This review provides a comprehensive analysis of nano-immunoengineering approaches for remodeling immune checkpoints in cancer. We discuss immune checkpoint biology, nanoparticle design principles, targeting strategies, and mechanisms of immune reprogramming. Preclinical advances, combinatorial nano-immunotherapies, and translational challenges are critically evaluated. Collectively, programmable nanoparticles represent a transformative platform to overcome current barriers in cancer immunotherapy and advance precision immune checkpoint modulation.