New nanoparticles stimulate the immune system to attack ovarian tumors

Targeted particles carrying the cytokine IL-12 can jump-start T cells, allowing them to clear tumors while avoiding side effects.

Originally published by Anne Trafton | MIT News, on October 31, 2025

MIT chemical engineers have designed nanoparticles that can deliver an immune-stimulating molecule called IL-12 to ovarian cancer cells. IL-12 then recruits T cells to attack the tumors. 

Credit: Courtesy of the researchers; background image National Cancer Institute

Cancer immunotherapy, which uses drugs that stimulate the body’s immune cells to attack tumors, is a promising approach to treating many types of cancer. However, it doesn’t work well for some tumors, including ovarian cancer.

To elicit a better response, MIT researchers have designed new nanoparticles that can deliver an immune-stimulating molecule called IL-12 directly to ovarian tumors. When given along with immunotherapy drugs called checkpoint inhibitors, IL-12 helps the immune system launch an attack on cancer cells.

Studying a mouse model of ovarian cancer, the researchers showed that this combination treatment could eliminate metastatic tumors in more than 80 percent of the mice. When the mice were later injected with more cancer cells, to simulate tumor recurrence, their immune cells remembered the tumor proteins and cleared them again.

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