Liquid Metal Nanotransformers for Drug-Resistant Pan-Cancer Therapy in Patient-Derived Organoids

Drug resistance remains a major obstacle in cancer therapy, and direct mechanical disruption of cellular structures offers a promising strategy for overcoming it, highlighting the urgent clinical need for an effective and universal pan-cancer treatment. Here, a cryo-responsive liquid metal (LM) nanotransformer platform is developed. It undergoes dramatic deformation under freezing, physically disrupting lysosomal membranes and inducing potent cytotoxicity, particularly against drug-resistant tumors, thus offering a broadly applicable pan-cancer treatment. To enhance deformation efficiency of LM transformers, bismuth (Bi) is incorporated into gallium (Ga) to form biphasic Bi-Ga alloy particles, which reduces Ga supercooling and promotes crystallization during freezing. The biosafety of LM particles is evaluated across multiple organoid models upon maximum contact. Based on 11 tumor organoid models including lung, colorectal, and ovarian cancers, the significant anti-tumor effects of LM-assisted cryotherapy are demonstrated, particularly Bi-Ga combined with chemotherapy illustrating the strongest anti-tumor efficacy. Transcriptomic analysis reveals LM anti-tumor mechanism on multiple cancers with altering gene expression related to necroptosis, metabolic regulation, and cellular stress. In addition, tumors receiving LM cryo-treatment exhibited hallmark features of immunogenic cell death. In immune-competent drug-resistant lung organoids, Bi-Ga cryo-treatment modulates tumor microenvironment and enhances immunogenicity. Collectively, this study establishes a universal LM nanotransformer-enabled pan-cancer strategy, offering a clinically viable and drug-free approach for overcoming drug resistance.