Spherical Nucleic Acids (SNAs) as Structural Immunotherapies for Blood Cancers

The Mirkin group at Northwestern University is spurring a paradigm shift in the treatment of blood cancers that will lead to curative outcomes for patients.

Blood cancers, also known as hematological malignancies, cause approximately 50,000 fatalities in the U.S. each year (equivalent to one death every nine minutes). Current treatment strategies, including radiation therapy and chemotherapy, can lead to remission for some patients but are associated with a high rate of relapse (30-50% of all blood cancer patients). Unfortunately, initial treatments can promote resistance in cancer cells, making them insensitive to the same drugs or therapies. Immunotherapy is a new pillar of cancer treatment that operates by leveraging the immune system to recognize and attack cancer cells. Even though there are currently more than ten immunotherapies available in the clinic for the treatment of blood cancers overall, success rates have been limited and vary by subtype of disease. The Mirkin group will develop the spherical nucleic acid (SNA) platform as a blood cancer immunotherapeutic; such SNAs are comprised of nanoparticle cores functionalized with immune-stimulating DNA or RNA and immune-targeting peptides on their exterior. In this way, the Mirkin group will shed light on the importance of the structure of the nanomedicine in achieving maximum efficacy and potency.