On October 16, Professor Kim Hyung-shik’s research team, from the Department of Biomedical Sciences at Hanyang University, in collaboration with Professor Ralph Weissleder’s team at Harvard Medical School, announced the development of a novel nano-immunotherapy platform named ‘MyTai(Myeloid Cell-Targeted Immunostimulant Cocktail).’ The platform precisely regulates antigen-presenting cells(APCs), the orchestrators of our immune system, to induce cancer cells to self-eliminate.

Traditional immuno-oncology treatments stimulate 토토사이트 공지 cells randomly or activate only single signaling pathways, limiting effectiveness due to excessive inflammation and insufficient 토토사이트 공지 memory. Especially, precisely controlling the complex signaling networks of APCs has been a significant challenge for generating strong yet balanced 토토사이트 공지 responses.

To overcome such difficulties, the research team developed the world’s first single nanoconstruct technology, 'MyTai,' capable of concurrently stimulating immune signaling pathways inside dendritic cells and macrophages—key regulatory cells of immunity. This platform is designed to simultaneously activate three immune receptor signals, TLR3, TLR7/8, and NF-κB, within one nanostructure, creating a sustained and self-regulated immune environment instead of transient overactivated immunity.

MyTai is engineered as a biocompatible nanoparticle system based on the naturally derived sugar cyclodextrin, combined with the RNA immunostimulant ‘NexaVant (NVT)’ and small-molecule signal enhancers ‘R848’ and ‘LCL161.’ Immune signals propagate sequentially inside the approximately 100-nanometer-sized single particle (about 1/1,000 the thickness of a human hair), enabling powerful and long-lasting immune activation without excessive inflammatory responses.

Animal tests showed complete tumor removal for colon cancer, pancreatic cancer, and glioma models, with no tumor relapse observed. The tests also confirmed great level of safety as no toxicity occurred in major organs such as the liver and spleen. Professor Kim explained that MyTai represents a significant advancement as a precision immunoengineering technology—not just a simple immune adjuvant—that ‘designs and programs’ immune cell functions.

Professor Kim Hyung-shik said, ‘MyTai is not just a treatment but a platform that precisely reprograms antigen-presenting cells to enable the body’s immune network to recognize and remember cancer independently.’ He added, ‘Building on this technology, we plan to extend its application to various immunomodulatory therapies for infectious diseases and autoimmune disorders.’

This research was supported by Hanyang University’s intramural research fund(HY-202500000003103), and the results were published in the October 2025 issue of the prestigious journal ACS Nano.

The paper, A Myeloid Cell-Targeted Immunostimulant Cocktail (MyTai) Enhances Cancer Immunotherapy, lists Professor Kim Hyung-shik as the first author and Professor Ralph Weissleder as the corresponding author.