Curated Optogenetic Publication Database

Abstract: Cytokines have attracted sustained attention due to their multi-functional cellular response in immunotherapy. However, their application was limited to their short half-time, narrow therapeutic window, and undesired side effects. To address this issue, we developed a portable smart blue-light controlled (PSLC) device based on optogenetic technology. By combining this PSLC device with blue-light controlled gene modules, we successfully achieved the targeted regulation of cytokine expression within the tumor microenvironment. To alter the tumor microenvironment of solid tumors, pro-inflammatory cytokines were selected as blue-light controlled molecules. The results show that blue-light effectively regulates the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines both in vitro and in vivo. This strategy leads to enhanced and activated tumor-infiltrating immune cells, which facilitated to overcome the immunosuppressive microenvironment, resulting in significant tumor shrinkage in tumor-bearing mice. Hence, our study offers a unique strategy for cytokine therapy and a convenient device for animal studies in optogenetic immunotherapy.

Abstract: Optogenetic, known as the method of 21 centuries, combines optic and genetic engineering to precisely control photosensitive proteins for manipulation of a broad range of cellular functions, such as flux of ions, protein oligomerization and dissociation, cellular intercommunication, and so on. In this technique, light is conventionally delivered to targeted cells through optical fibers or micro light-emitting diodes, always suffering from high invasiveness, wide-field illumination facula, strong absorption, and scattering by nontargeted endogenous substance. Light-transducing nanomaterials with advantages of high spatiotemporal resolution, abundant wireless-excitation manners, and easy functionalization for recognition of specific cells, recently have been widely explored in the field of optogenetics; however, there remain a few challenges to restrain its clinical applications. This review summarized recent progress on light-responsive genetically encoded proteins and the myriad of activation strategies by use of light-transducing nanomaterials and their disease-treatment applications, which is expected for sparking helpful thought to push forward its preclinical and translational uses.