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Updated: Aug 18, 2026

Isolation Protocol of Mouse Monocyte-derived Dendritic Cells and Their Subsequent In Vitro Activation with Tumor Immune Complexes
Published on: May 31, 2018
Metabolic activation using fructose-1,6-bisphosphate microparticles of non-virally LNP-generated CAR-macrophages
Abhirami P Suresh1, Huikang Qian2, Vinayak Uppin3
1Department of Pathology, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, USA.
Abstract:
While chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T cell therapy has demonstrated remarkable clinical efficacy in hematological malignancies, its impact on solid tumors remains limited, largely due to insufficient T cell infiltration into the tumor microenvironment (TME). In contrast, macrophages are inherently recruited to the TME, offering a promising platform for cell-based immunotherapy. However, the nutrient-deprived conditions within the TME drive macrophages toward an immunosuppressive, tumor-promoting phenotype, thereby constraining their therapeutic potential. Here, we report a metabolic accelerating strategy designed to potentiate the anti-tumor activity of CAR-engineered macrophages (CAR-macs) by increasing their glycolytic capacity. We demonstrate that pre-treatment of CAR-macs with microparticles generated from fructose 1,6-bisphosphate (F16BP) can augment glycolytic flux and promote pro-inflammatory polarization. In a murine lymphoma solid tumor model, this approach significantly enhances anti-tumor immune cell responses and demonstrates that the CAR-macs are able to home to the tumor site. Our findings establish a novel paradigm in CAR macrophage-based immunotherapy, demonstrating that metabolic reprogramming can overcome the immunosuppressive TME and substantially improve therapeutic efficacy against solid tumors.

