REVIEW article
Front. Immunol.
Sec. Cancer Immunity and Immunotherapy
This article is part of the Research TopicCombination of photodynamic therapy and immunotherapy to overcome cancer resistanceView all 5 articles
Research progress on the induction of immunogenic cell death in tumor immunotherapy using a sonodynamic therapy nanoparticle delivery system
Provisionally accepted
- 1Yangzhou University Medical College, Yangzhou, China
- 2Department of Thyroid and Breast Surgery, Clinical Medical College, Yangzhou, China
- 3Hunan Normal University, Changsha, China
- 4Department of Basic Medicine, Changsha, China
- 5Northern Jiangsu People's Hospital, Yangzhou, China
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ICD is critical for enhancing antitumor immune responses in tumor immunotherapy. SDT employs ultrasound to activate Sonosensitizers, generating ROS that induce cytotoxic tumor cell death and trigger ICD through the release of DAMPs. However, standalone SDT faces challenges such as limited Sonosensitizers accumulation and poor tissue specificity. Nanoparticle-mediated SDT addresses these limitations by improving Sonosensitizers delivery, tumor targeting, and biocompatibility. This review explores how nanotechnology enhances SDT to induce ICD, focusing on its integration with chemotherapy and immunotherapy to achieve synergistic antitumor effects. We highlight recent advancements in multifunctional nanoplatforms that optimize ROS production, reprogram the tumor microenvironment, and enhance immune activation. By overcoming the constraints of conventional therapies, nanoparticle-mediated SDT offers a promising strategy for precise, effective, and low-toxicity tumor immunotherapy, with potential for clinical translation.
Keywords: sonodynamic therapy, Immunogenic cell death, Drug delivery, Nanotechnology, synergistic effect
Received: 07 Aug 2025; Accepted: 24 Nov 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Du, Yang and Fu. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Jiangnan Yang
Deyuan Fu
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