Gold nanoparticles for cancer immunotherapy: Imaging, diagnosis and stratified medicine

Immunotherapy has made enormous progress in offering safer and more effective treatments for cancer. However, due to the complexity and heterogeneity of tumors, as well as the diversity in patient response, success rates of current available treatments (whether T cell or immune checkpoint blockage therapy) are extremely varied. Moreover, the efficacy of immunotherapy can be evaluated only several months after start of treatment. Therefore, early identification of potential responders and non-responders to therapy, using noninvasive means, is crucial for improving treatment decisions. In this talk, I will share with you a straightforward approach for fast, image-guided prediction of immunotherapy response, by using gold nanoparticles and CT imaging. This technology can be developed into a powerful tool for early and noninvasive patient stratification.