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Bioengineer
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Engineering Immune Cells to Fight Cancer
- Researchers are focusing on innate immune cells like NK cells, macrophages, and γδ T cells for cancer immunotherapy due to their intrinsic antitumor activity and rapid immune activation.
- NK cells, known for their ability to detect and destroy transformed cells without antigen presentation, face challenges like limited in vivo persistence and tumor microenvironment immunosuppression.
- Macrophages play a critical role in engulfing cancer cells but often become polarized into protumoral phenotypes within tumors, hindering tumor eradication.
- Innovative engineering approaches, including CAR technology and signaling pathway modulation, aim to reprogram tumor-associated macrophages for a tumoricidal effect.
- γδ T cells exhibit rapid response abilities and potent cytotoxicity, but their rarity and functional heterogeneity present barriers to therapeutic exploitation.
- Advanced genetic engineering techniques are being used to design innate immune cells with enhanced antitumor efficacy, leveraging CRISPR editing, CAR constructs, and cytokine armoring.
- Challenges in translating engineered innate immune cells to clinical use include ex vivo expansion complexities, tumor microenvironment immunosuppression, and safety concerns.
- Preclinical studies show promising outcomes with engineered innate immune cells, such as CAR-NK cells and macrophages, in mediating antitumor responses.
- Clinical trials with CAR-NK cells and macrophage-based therapies are showing initial clinical efficacy, signaling a new era in immuno-oncology.
- Obstacles to routine clinical integration include manufacturing complexities, personalized therapy approaches, and rigorous monitoring for adverse events.
- The fusion of synthetic biology with innate immune engineering offers potential for more flexible, durable, and controlled cancer therapies through modular receptor platforms and multifactorial synergy.
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