Autologous erythrocyte microparticles drive antitumour T cell immunity via haem-mediated dendritic cell activation.

Erythrocyte-derived microparticles generated by controlled ultraviolet irradiation enhance tumour antigen-specific cytotoxic T cell immunity in multiple mouse tumour models, skewing responses toward T helper type 1.

• Why it matters: Existing adjuvants weakly induce cytotoxic T cell immunity and poorly promote T helper type 1 responses, creating a need for safer, more effective cancer vaccine adjuvants.
• What they did: The study used erythrocyte microparticles taken up by dendritic cells, tracking lysosomal trafficking and haem delivery to the nucleus, alongside mechanistic testing of REV-ERB⍺ and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma.
• The result: In vaccination experiments, adding tumour antigens to erythrocyte-derived microparticles increased cytotoxic T cell activation and suppressed tumour growth with minimal toxicity, supporting host-derived vesicles as next-generation adjuvants.

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