Bioengineered systems to exploit tumor microenvironment metabolism

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Metabolic Engineering
• Immunotherapy

Background:

• Cancer metabolism is dysregulated, presenting therapeutic targets.
• Molecular therapies targeting cancer metabolism show clinical success.
• Bioengineering approaches for cancer metabolism are emerging.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review key metabolic pathways and genetic dysregulations in the tumor microenvironment (TME) for therapeutic intervention.
• To examine bioengineering strategies targeting tumor metabolic dependencies.
• To focus on clinical applications and future directions for bioengineered cancer therapies.

Main Methods:

• Review of metabolic pathways and genetic dysregulations in the TME.
• Examination of bioengineered biomaterial and cellular systems.
• Analysis of strategies including metabolite uptake prevention, inhibitor delivery, and immune environment restoration.

Main Results:

• Identified key metabolic vulnerabilities in the TME.
• Described bioengineering approaches to exploit these vulnerabilities.
• Highlighted strategies to modulate the metabolic and immune TME.

Conclusions:

• Bioengineering offers promising avenues for cancer therapy by targeting tumor metabolism.
• Strategies focus on disrupting nutrient supply, inhibiting metabolic enzymes, and enhancing anti-tumor immunity.
• Future directions emphasize clinical translation and improved tolerability of these novel therapies.