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Published on: October 1, 2007
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Therapeutic Applications of Engineered Cell Death, Arrest, and Persistence
Jared W Lee-Kin, Ofelya Baghdasaryan1, Luis E Contreras-Llano2,3,1,4
1Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of California, Davis, California, USA;
Annual Review of Biomedical Engineering
|February 10, 2026
Summary
Engineered cells can be programmed for therapies using controlled cell death or arrest, not just viability. This approach enhances safety, predictability, and therapeutic stability for applications in immune modulation, drug delivery, and tissue regeneration.
Area of Science:
- Biomedical Engineering
- Cellular Therapeutics
- Synthetic Biology
Background:
- Current cell engineering predominantly focuses on live cells, overlooking the therapeutic potential of non-viable or arrested states.
- A spectrum exists from viable to dead cells, each offering unique properties for therapeutic applications.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore the controlled manipulation of cell death and arrest for developing effective, safer, and predictable cell-based therapies.
- To introduce a framework for understanding engineered living, dying, and dead cell therapies.
- To examine enabling technologies for these advanced cell therapies.
Main Methods:
- Engineering apoptosis and irreversible growth arrest.
- Designing synthetic gene circuits for programmed cellular functions.
- Utilizing genetic, physical, and materials-based tools for cell manipulation.
Main Results:
- Programmed cell death or arrest enables functional outputs without full viability, reducing cellular heterogeneity.
- Engineered cell death/arrest strategies improve therapeutic stability and extend the therapeutic window.
- These approaches are applicable across diverse biomedical domains, including immune modulation, drug delivery, and tissue regeneration.
Conclusions:
- Controlled manipulation of cell death and arrest offers a novel paradigm for cell-based therapies.
- Engineered living, dying, and dead cells provide programmable and consistent therapeutic solutions.
- This perspective paves the way for advanced, reliable cell therapies across various medical fields.
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