156-Engineering Myeloid Cells for Cancer Immunotherapy

This paper discusses the emerging field of engineering myeloid cells, specifically macrophages, for cancer immunotherapy. It begins by contrasting the promising but challenging Chimeric Antigen Receptor T-cell (CAR-T) therapies, which face issues like toxicity and limited efficacy against solid tumors, with alternative approaches like CAR-Natural Killer (CAR-NK) cells and CAR-macrophages (CAR-Ms). The commentary primarily explores the potential of CAR-Ms to overcome the limitations of CAR-T cells, noting their improved safety profile-exhibiting only low-grade cytokine release syndrome (CRS) in initial human trials-and their natural ability to infiltrate solid tumors and modulate the tumor microenvironment (TME). Furthermore, the source highlights that CAR-Ms kill tumor cells via CAR-dependent phagocytosis and can induce endogenous anti-tumor T cell responses, especially when combined with checkpoint inhibitors like anti-PD-1 or anti-CD47. Finally, it addresses logistical challenges and future directions, emphasizing the development of in vivo gene editing of macrophages as a strategy to create more cost-effective and accessible cancer treatments.

References:

• Chen J, Zhao Y, Chen X, et al. Engineering myeloid cells for cancer immunotherapy[J]. Cancer Cell, 2025, 43(9): 1593-1597.