Genetically engineered dendritic cells in cancer immunotherapy: from immune reprogramming strategies to emerging CAR-DC platforms
Genetic engineering can enhance dendritic cell (DC) migration, antigen presentation, co-stimulation, cytokine production, survival, and resistance to tumor-mediated suppression. This review examines established engineering strategies and emerging chimeric antigen receptor-engineered DCs (CAR-DCs). Preclinical studies indicate that CAR-DCs may promote tumor-material uptake, cross-presentation, T cell priming, and microenvironmental remodeling. However, limited persistence, manufacturing complexity, safety uncertainties, and the absence of clinical outcome data remain major barriers to translation.
Authors
- Elham Safarzadeh (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6160-8923)
- Farid Ghorbaninezhad (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0175-204X)
- Ahmad Ghorbani (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3688-3178)
- Ali Abedian (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4724-7433)
- Mahsa Iravani
- Negin Dadmehr
- Sajjad Samadian
- Milad Taghizadeh Anvar
- Mina Hobbi
Institutions
- Ardabil University of Medical Sciences (IR)
- Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences (IR)
Publication Details
- Journal
- npj Precision Oncology
- Published
- 2026-09-18
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1038/s41698-026-01702-9
- Primary Topic
- Immunotherapy and Immune Responses
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00