AUTHOR=Ding Xiaoling , Sun Xinchen , Cai Huihui , Wu Lei , Liu Ying , Zhao Yu , Zhou Dingjingyu , Yu Guiping , Zhou Xiaorong TITLE=Engineering Macrophages via Nanotechnology and Genetic Manipulation for Cancer Therapy JOURNAL=Frontiers in Oncology VOLUME=11 YEAR=2022 URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/oncology/articles/10.3389/fonc.2021.786913 DOI=10.3389/fonc.2021.786913 ISSN=2234-943X ABSTRACT=
Macrophages play critical roles in tumor progression. In the tumor microenvironment, macrophages display highly diverse phenotypes and may perform antitumorigenic or protumorigenic functions in a context-dependent manner. Recent studies have shown that macrophages can be engineered to transport drug nanoparticles (NPs) to tumor sites in a targeted manner, thereby exerting significant anticancer effects. In addition, macrophages engineered to express chimeric antigen receptors (CARs) were shown to actively migrate to tumor sites and eliminate tumor cells through phagocytosis. Importantly, after reaching tumor sites, these engineered macrophages can significantly change the otherwise immune-suppressive tumor microenvironment and thereby enhance T cell-mediated anticancer immune responses. In this review, we first introduce the multifaceted activities of macrophages and the principles of nanotechnology in cancer therapy and then elaborate on macrophage engineering