| Popis: |
As our understanding of how the interaction between the immune system and the tumor dictate the progression of disease has increased, so have the opportunities to intervene therapeutically. The advent of immunoengineering describes the marriage of immunology and bioengineering to create and understand complex systems for the remediation of tumors. Utilization of an engineer's toolkit can lead to construction of devices designed to operate in an immunological space, that is, to provide a modulatory effect within the often immunologically quiescent tumor microenvironment (TME). Engineered devices include particle-based systems (nanoparticles, NPs), hydrogels, scaffolds, stents, microneedle patches and electronic microchips. As tumors subvert destruction by the immune system in a multiplicity of ways, engineered devices principally act to reawaken and reprogram the antitumor arm of the immune system. Advantages of these devices are that immunotherapies can be delivered with spatiotemporal control and preferential localization, as well as combinations, utilizing several routes of administration. Indeed, leveraging our understanding of tumor immunology in the design of these devices can lead to improved pharmacokinetics (PK) and biodistribution (BD) of therapies and therefore efficacy. This, in turn, increases residence time at the target site, which also reduces dose-limiting immunotoxicities. Furthermore, the devices themselves can have varying degrees of immunoactivity depending on the materials used to synthesize them, which can also be of benefit in certain contexts. |
