▲Photo: Professor Kim Ha Rin, Department of Applied Chemistry, College of Science and Technology, Kookmin University

A research team led by Professor Kim Ha Rin (corresponding author) from the Biopharmaceutical Chemistry Major at Kookmin University (President Jeong Seung Ryul) has developed a novel immune-oncology drug delivery platform capable of effectively treating KRAS-mutated colorectal cancer, which previously showed poor response to existing immunotherapies. The research findings were published in the January 2026 issue of the SCI-indexed journal Journal of Controlled Release, a leading publication in the field of drug delivery.

KRAS-mutated colorectal cancer is a representative intractable cancer that is clinically difficult to treat due to its low response to both targeted therapies and immune checkpoint inhibitors. A particular problem has been the lack of immune therapy efficacy, largely attributed to the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment with limited immune cell infiltration.

To overcome these limitations, Professor Kim Ha Rin's research team developed a novel anticancer delivery platform engineered to function exclusively within tumor tissue. This technology exploits cancer cells' characteristic of excessively absorbing nutrients, enabling drugs to accumulate selectively in tumors rather than normal tissue. The drugs are further designed to activate only during the cancer cell death process.

When combined with immunotherapy agents, the platform succeeded in creating an environment where immune cells could recognize and attack cancer, going beyond simple cancer cell killing. As a result, the rate of complete tumor disappearance significantly increased in KRAS-mutated colorectal cancer animal models that were unresponsive to existing treatments. Furthermore, an immune memory effect was confirmed, preventing recurrence even when cancer was re-injected after treatment.

Professor Kim Ha Rin stated, “This study demonstrates that restoring immunotherapy sensitivity is achievable not by increasing drug delivery volume, but by precisely controlling the timing and location of selective activation within the tumor.” She added, “Based on clinically applicable drug combinations, we have proposed a new strategy to transform difficult-to-treat cancers, where immunotherapy was previously challenging, into treatable conditions.”

This achievement is evaluated as presenting a next-generation principle for designing immune-oncology drugs applicable not only to KRAS-mutated colorectal cancer but also to various solid tumors with low immune therapy response. It is anticipated to expand into future clinical application and therapeutic development.