Nanotechnology to Engineer the Surface of Immune Cells

Attaching nanomaterials onto the surface of immune cells to modulate immune responses or enable tissue-specific drug delivery represents an emerging area of biomedical research with state-of-the-art technological advances and promising therapeutic outcomes. Biocompatible nanomaterials can be conjugated to immune cell surfaces ex vivo for adoptive cell therapies or selectively targeted to specific subpopulations of immune cells in vivo following systemic or local administration. Over the past 15 years, sustained efforts have yielded several robust platforms that rationally integrate appropriate physicochemical and biological properties of nanomaterials with the specialized functional attributes of immune cells, resulting in previously unanticipated therapeutic effects. In this review, we summarize recent advances in this field, including engineering methodologies and associated therapeutic effects, organized by the type of surface engineering approach. We anticipate that continued progress in this area will offer new therapeutic opportunities for diseases that lack effective treatment.