생화학분자생물학회

	Hua Wang ( huawang3@illinois.edu )
	2020/08-	Assistant Professor, Department of Materials Science & Engineering Member, Cancer Center at Illinois Faculty Affiliate, Department of Bioengineering Faculty Affiliate, Carle College of Medicine Faculty Affiliate, Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology Faculty Affiliate, Materials Research Laboratory Faculty Affiliate, Institute for Genome Biology University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
	2017-2020	Wyss Technology Development Fellow, Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering
	2016-2020	Postdoctoral Fellow, Harvard University
	2012-2016	Research Assistant, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Cytokine-Overexpressing Dendritic Cells for Cancer Immunotherapy

Dendritic cell (DC), the prominent type of antigen presenting cells in the body, is a key mediator of adaptive immunity by sampling antigens from diseased cells for subsequent priming of antigen-specific T and B cells. While DCs can secrete a diverse array of cytokines that profoundly shape the immune milieu, exogenous cytokines are often needed to maintain the survival, proliferation, and differentiation of DCs, T cells, and B cells. However, conventional cytokine therapies for cancer treatment are limited by the low therapeutic benefit and severe side effects. Overexpressing cytokines in DCs, followed by paracrine release or membrane display, has emerged as a viable approach to controlling the exposure of cytokines to interacting DCs and T/B cells. This approach can potentially reduce the necessitated dose of cytokines and associated side effects to achieve a comparable or enhanced antitumor efficacy. Various strategies have been developed to enable the overexpression or chemical conjugation of cytokines on DCs, for subsequent modulation of DC-T/B cell interactions. The Review provides a brief overview of strategies that enable the overexpression of cytokines in or on DCs via genetic engineering or chemical modification methods, and discusses the promise of cytokine-overexpressing DCs for the development of new-generation cancer immunotherapy.

Exp Mol Med. 2024 Dec;56(12):2559-2568. doi: 10.1038/s12276-024-01353-5.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39617785/