Boron neutron capture therapy preserves immune cells and induces robust anti-tumour immunity in preclinical mouse model

Radiotherapy can both activate and suppress immunity, making it difficult to predict or modulate these opposing effects for better cancer treatment. Boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT), a cellular-level radiotherapy, has demonstrated remarkable therapeutic efficacy in clinical practice, but mechanistically remains inadequately explored. Here, we compare the effects of BNCT with X-ray irradiation at equivalent radiation doses on immune cells and define the immunological mechanisms behind the improved therapeutic benefit of BNCT in mouse tumour models. We find that BNCT has a minimal effect on immune cell viability, while it triggers an immunogenic tumour cell death, ultimately inducing stronger anti-tumour…

• NN
  National Natural Science Foundation of China

  Awards: 22225603, U24A20732, 22441051
• MO
  Ministry of Science and Technology of the People's Republic of China

  Award: 2021YFA1601400
• PU
  Peking University
• CN
  China National Nuclear Corporation