Multifunctional nanodrug-enabled mild photothermal therapy for enhanced immunotherapy in triple-negative breast cancer

studies revealed strong multimodal imaging capabilities, consisting of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), fluorescence imaging (FLI), and photothermal imaging. When used in combination with anti-programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1), this photo-immunotherapy system induced ICD and DC maturation, and increased the infiltration of cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) into tumors, which resulted in significant reduction in primary tumor foci and pulmonary metastases. As a result, this approach not only triggers a robust adaptive immune response but also transforms the immunologically "cold" TNBC into a "hot" tumor, enabling effective anti-PD-L1 therapy. This provides a promising alternative and valuable reference for effective immunotherapy of TNBC.