SES scientist is making immunotherapy faster, cheaper and stronger

Immunotherapy has emerged in recent years as a gentler form of cancer treatment compared with conventional chemotherapy, offering patients fewer and milder side effects. However, traditional dendritic cell (DC) immunotherapy often produces inconsistent clinical results, and the cell culture process remains complex and costly.

To address these challenges, Professor Ken Yung Kin-lam, Chair Professor of Biology and Neuroscience in the Department of Science and Environmental Studies (SES) and Associate Vice President (Knowledge Transfer and Sustainability) at EdUHK, led a research team to develop a new silica-based nanostructured biomaterial known as Nanozigzags (NZs). This innovation can significantly reduce DC culture time, lower production costs, and enhance therapeutic efficacy by nearly 70%. Professor Yung is also the Director of University Research Facility of Human Behavioral Neuroscience (UHBN).

Cancer continues to be the leading cause of death worldwide and in Hong Kong. According to the Hong Kong Cancer Registry (HKCaR), cancer accounted for 26.2% of all deaths in Hong Kong in 2023. While chemotherapy remains a key treatment option, it often brings severe side effects and a risk of relapse. In recent years, Chimeric Antigen Receptor T-cell (CAR-T) therapy has gained attention by combining immunology, cell therapy and gene technology, yet it has limited success against solid tumours, Moreover, CAR-T therapy carries risks of excessive immune reactions, and can cost several million Hong Kong dollars per treatment.

DC immunotherapy works by isolating monocytes from a patient’s blood, co-culturing them with tumour antigens in vitro—that is outside the body—to produce mature dendritic cells, and reinfusing them into the body to stimulate an immune attack on cancer cells. Although this approach is gentler, its outcomes are inconsistent, and the production process is labour-intensive and expensive.

To overcome these limitations, Professor Yung’s team developed a naturally derived, non-toxic, and highly biocompatible silica nanomatrix. This material safely and effectively promotes DC maturation, enhances T-cell recognition and destruction of cancer cells, and helps bypass tumour “camouflage” to improve targeting precision. Animal studies show that the new technology effectively inhibits tumour growth, prolongs immune memory, and strengthens long-term anti-tumour responses.

The study is led by EdUHK in collaboration with The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Baptist University, and Jinan University. The entire DC culture process takes place entirely ex vivo, meaning it is independent of a patient’s immune condition and can therefore yield more consistent results. This method is particularly advantageous for patients with weakened immune systems following chemotherapy. The platform’s design supports standardisation and large-scale production, reducing costs and facilitating clinical applications.

Professor Yung added that the new material’s potential extends beyond cancer treatment. He explained: “In the silica nanomatrix, dendritic cells adopt a distinctive Z-shaped morphology that increases their surface contact area, enabling more effective transmission of biophysical signals and distinguishing them from conventionally cultured DCs. By utilising biophysical cues rather than high-risk manipulations, our work provides a safer and more scalable pathway for DC vaccines. In future, we plan to explore the application of these novel dendritic cells in systemic lupus erythematosus and multiple sclerosis, paving the way for new immunomodulatory therapies.”

Looking ahead, the EdUHK research team aims to collaborate with hospitals and laboratories in Hong Kong and Chinese Mainland to refine cell culture protocols, assess therapeutic effectiveness, and advance clinical investigations.

The new technology invented by Professor Yung’s team has won the following awards: