EPFL scientists have developed a chemical method for targeting the effects of cancer-fighting immunotherapy drugs only to the tumor tissue, making the drugs less toxic to the rest of the human body.
Immunotherapy drugs are promising new weapons in the fight against cancer, but they are so strong that they can be toxic to the rest of the human body. The basic idea behind immunotherapy drugs is simple. Doctors inject special kinds of drugs, especially proteins such as antibodies and cytokines prepared or modified in a lab, into a patient, where they activate the patient’s immune cells –T-cells, NK cells, and so on – and help these cells fight the tumor. In short, immunotherapy drugs work like a powerful cocktail that boosts a patient’s own immune system.
“After being prescribed by a doctor, immunotherapy drugs are administered intravenously,” says Li Tang, head of the Laboratory of Biomaterials for Immunoengineering at EPFL’s School of Engineering. “Once inside the body, the drugs spread all over – not just where the tumor or any metastases are located. The problem is that the proteins in the drugs are so strong that they damage healthy tissue.” Many of the immunotherapy treatments already out there have proven to be highly effective against cancer in preclinical studies. But they often can’t be used to save people because they’re too toxic to the rest of the body. “The treatments that are used in patients today have been toned down so they’re less potent,” says Tang. “That makes them safer, but also less effective at destroying tumors. Our aim is to keep all the potency of immunotherapy, because it will be an important treatment option for cancer patients.”
Tang and his team therefore developed a method whereby the immunotherapy proteins are activated only when they come into the tumor tissues. The EPFL team is one of the pioneers to develop this kind of technology through a universal chemical approach. “We were able to achieve this thanks to our cross-disciplinary approach,” says Tang. “Our method draws on techniques from both chemistry and immune engineering.” The research has just been published in Science Advances.
A special environment
Yu Zhao, a postdoc at Tang’s lab, began by utilizing the chemical properties around tumors. “The tumor microenvironment is different from the rest of the body. The pH is lower, meaning it’s more acidic, and it has a high reducing potential,” he says. Zhao used these facts, already known to scientists, to develop a kind of polymer shield for the protein drugs that would let them travel harmlessly through the body until they reach the tumor.
“To create the shield, I first developed stimuli-responsive chemical bonds that attach to the surface of the protein molecules, like little hooks,” says Zhao. “Then I took polymers – which are long chains of molecules – and ‘hooked’ them to the bonds on of the protein molecules. Once attached to the protein surface, the polymers wrap around them, like a protective shield.”

News
Ancient DNA sheds light on evolution of relapsing fever bacteria
Researchers at the Francis Crick Institute and UCL have analyzed ancient DNA from Borrelia recurrentis, a type of bacteria that causes relapsing fever, pinpointing when it evolved to spread through lice rather than ticks, and [...]
Cold Sore Virus Linked to Alzheimer’s, Antivirals May Lower Risk
Summary: A large study suggests that symptomatic infection with herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1)—best known for causing cold sores—may significantly raise the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease. Researchers found that people with HSV-1 were 80% [...]
Nanoparticle-Based Combination Therapy for Resistant Melanoma
A recent study published in Small addresses the persistent difficulty of treating refractory melanoma, an aggressive form of skin cancer that often does not respond to existing therapies. Although diagnostic tools and immunotherapies have improved in [...]
Our DNA May Evolve Much Faster Than Previously Thought
Rapidly mutating DNA regions were mapped using a multi-generational family and advanced sequencing tools. Understanding how human DNA changes over generations is crucial for estimating genetic disease risks and tracing our evolutionary history. However, some of [...]
AI therapy may help with mental health, but innovation should never outpace ethics
Mental health services around the world are stretched thinner than ever. Long wait times, barriers to accessing care and rising rates of depression and anxiety have made it harder for people to get timely help. As a result, governments and health care providers are [...]
Global life expectancy plunges as WHO warns of deepening health crisis Post-COVID
The World Health Organization (WHO) has sounded the alarm on the long-term health repercussions of the COVID-19 pandemic in its newly released World Health Statistics Report 2025. The report reveals a staggering decline in global [...]
Researchers map brain networks involved in word retrieval
How are we able to recall a word we want to say? This basic ability, called word retrieval, is often compromised in patients with brain damage. Interestingly, many patients who can name words they [...]
Melting Ice Is Changing the Color of the Ocean – Scientists Are Alarmed
Melting sea ice changes not only how much light enters the ocean, but also its color, disrupting marine photosynthesis and altering Arctic ecosystems in subtle but profound ways. As global warming causes sea ice in the [...]
Your Washing Machine Might Be Helping Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria Spread
A new study reveals that biofilms in washing machines may contain potential pathogens and antibiotic resistance genes, posing possible risks for laundering healthcare workers’ uniforms at home. Washing healthcare uniforms at home could be [...]
Scientists Discover Hidden Cause of Alzheimer’s Hiding in Plain Sight
Researchers found the PHGDH gene directly causes Alzheimer’s and discovered a drug-like molecule, NCT-503, that may help treat the disease early by targeting the gene’s hidden function. A recent study has revealed that a gene previously [...]
How Brain Cells Talk: Inside the Complex Language of the Human Mind
Introduction The human brain contains nearly 86 billion neurons, constantly exchanging messages like an immense social media network, but neurons do not work alone – glial cells, neurotransmitters, receptors, and other molecules form a vast [...]
Oxford study reveals how COVID-19 vaccines prevent severe illness
A landmark study by scientists at the University of Oxford, has unveiled crucial insights into the way that COVID-19 vaccines mitigate severe illness in those who have been vaccinated. Despite the global success of [...]
Annual blood test could detect cancer earlier and save lives
A single blood test, designed to pick up chemical signals indicative of the presence of many different types of cancer, could potentially thwart progression to advanced disease while the malignancy is still at an early [...]
How the FDA opens the door to risky chemicals in America’s food supply
Lining the shelves of American supermarkets are food products with chemicals linked to health concerns. To a great extent, the FDA allows food companies to determine for themselves whether their ingredients and additives are [...]
Superbug crisis could get worse, killing nearly 40 million people by 2050
The number of lives lost around the world due to infections that are resistant to the medications intended to treat them could increase nearly 70% by 2050, a new study projects, further showing the [...]
How Can Nanomaterials Be Programmed for Different Applications?
Nanomaterials are no longer just small—they are becoming smart. Across fields like medicine, electronics, energy, and materials science, researchers are now programming nanomaterials to behave in intentional, responsive ways. These advanced materials are designed [...]