Research Lab Publishes Breakthrough on mRNA Cancer Vaccines

9/8/2025 Javeria Malik

Cancer Center at Illinois (CCIL) member and bioengineering professor Hua Wang has published research detailing a new mRNA cancer vaccine platform. Wang’s study introduces an immune cell homing hydrogel-based platform designed to overcome one of the biggest hurdles in conventional mRNA cancer vaccines: the extremely low efficiency of antigen-encoded mRNAs being processed by the right type of immune cells in the body. Instead of relying on the diffusion of vaccine components to passively reach dendritic cells in the body, Wang’s method actively recruits massive dendritic cells into a hydrogel where the antigen-encoded mRNAs reside.

Written by Javeria Malik

Bioengineering faculty and Cancer Center at Illinois (CCIL) member Hua Wang has published new research detailing a new mRNA cancer vaccine platform. Wang’s study introduces an immune cell homing hydrogel-based platform designed to overcome one of the biggest hurdles in conventional mRNA cancer vaccines: the extremely low efficiency of antigen-encoded mRNAs being processed by the right type of immune cells in the body. Instead of relying on the diffusion of vaccine components to passively reach dendritic cells in the body, Wang’s method actively recruits massive dendritic cells into a hydrogel where the antigen-encoded mRNAs reside.

<em>Cancer Center at Illinois member Hua Wang (left) with Ph.D. student and first author Jiadiao (David) Zhou</em> — *Cancer Center at Illinois member Hua Wang (left) with Ph.D. student and first author Jiadiao (David) Zhou*

Hydrogel boost for mRNA cancer vaccines

mRNA vaccines have already proven their value in infectious disease, but cancer presents a tougher challenge. To succeed, the vaccine must not only trigger antibodies but also activate T cells that can recognize and destroy tumors. That requires dendritic cells (the immune system’s master teachers) to pick up and process the mRNA in an efficient manner.

Wang’s approach uses a macroporous hydrogel loaded with chemokines. Once injected, the gel recruits dendritic cells to the site, where they encounter and process the mRNA. This active recruitment improves efficiency and leads to stronger antitumor immune responses in preclinical models.

“Our approach is to inject a macroporous hydrogel that contains the mRNA and a chemokine under the skin. The chemokine recruits dendritic cells from other parts of the body into the hydrogel. When they encounter the mRNA in the hydrogel, they process it and present the tumor antigens on the surface for subsequent stimulation of tumor-specific T cells. One can imagine that the chance of mRNA vaccines to ‘meet’ dendritic cells in our strategy is way higher than conventional approaches,” said Wang.

Doctoral researcher and first author Jiadiao (David) Zhou also played a leading role in the team’s work. According to Zhou, “This research is definitely beneficial for cancer patients. And it also opens doors for other scholars who want a way to modulate dendritic cells in situ without invasive methods.”

The research is still in the preclinical stage, but the concept has broad applications. For Wang’s team, the next steps include optimizing the material system to get even better T-cell activation and antitumor results.

Hua Wang is an associate professor in the Department of Materials Science & Engineering, a research member of the Cancer Center at Illinois, a faculty affiliate of the Department of Bioengineering, the Beckman Institute, Materials Research Laboratory, Carle College of Medicine, and Institute for Genomic Biology. He can be reached at huawang3@illinois.edu.

David (Jiadiao) Zhou is a Ph.D. student in Materials Science & Engineering at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. He can be reached at jiadiao2@illinois.edu.

The paper, “Macroporous hydrogel-based mRNA cancer vaccine for in situ recruitment and modulation of dendritic cells,” is published in Acta Biomaterialia and is available here.

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This story was published September 8, 2025.