Engineering adoptive cell therapy for solid tumors

Adaptive cell therapy (ACT) has emerged as a promising immunotherapeutic approach for cancer treatment by using engineered immune cells to recognize and destroy malignant cells. While ACT has shown remarkable success in hematologic malignancies, its application in solid tumors remains limited due to unique challenges such as limited immune cell infiltration, antigen heterogeneity, and the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment. This review provides an overview of current strategies to enhance the efficacy of ACT in solid tumors, focusing on engineered T cells, including CAR-T, TCR-T, and tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs). We discuss recent progress in cancer immunotherapy, with a focus on tumor targeting, resistance to immunosuppressive signals, as well as strategies to overcome antigen escape. Moreover, we highlight the role of gene-editing tools such as CRISPR/Cas9 in designing next-generation immune cells with enhanced functionality and safety. By integrating novel engineering techniques and systems biology approaches, ACT holds the potential to become a key component of personalized cancer therapy for solid tumors.