Elevating the potential of CAR-T cell therapy in solid tumors: exploiting biomaterials-based delivery techniques

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Immunotherapy
• Oncology

Background:

• Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell therapy shows promise for blood cancers but faces significant hurdles in solid tumors.
• Current limitations include poor T cell infiltration, tumor microenvironment immunosuppression, and limited efficacy.

Purpose of the Study:

• To summarize comprehensive biomaterials strategies for enhancing CAR-T cell therapy in solid tumors.
• To address key obstacles hindering CAR-T cell efficacy at tumor sites.

Main Methods:

• Review and synthesis of biomaterials-based approaches.
• Strategies discussed include orthotopic CAR-T cell generation, trafficking facilitation, expansion and infiltration stimulation, activity and persistence improvement, and immunosuppressive microenvironment reprogramming.

Main Results:

• Biomaterials offer multifaceted solutions to enhance CAR-T cell therapy for solid tumors.
• Specific strategies target critical barriers to CAR-T cell function and survival within the tumor microenvironment.

Conclusions:

• Integrating biomaterials with CAR-T cell technology presents a promising pathway to overcome current limitations.
• Future development should focus on innovation and clinical translation to realize the full potential of CAR-T cell therapy for solid tumors.