application of nanotechnology in car-t-cell immunotherapy

Aim and background: chimeric antigen receptor (car) therapy has achieved exceptional clinical efficacy against hematological cancers and has been approved by fda for treatment of b-cell tumors. however, in the field of solid tumors, the effectiveness of this therapy is hampered due to poor infiltration of car-t cells into solid tumor cells caused by the tumor microenvironment (tme), the inadequate trafficking of car-t cells as well as substantial antigen heterogeneity in solid tumors. nanotechnology-based approaches can be exploited to overcome the challenges faced by t-cell therapies owing to the employment of nano-scale particles which possess interchangeable physicochemical properties. methods: herein, we review recent advances regarding the application of nanotechnology to improve car-t cell therapy by searching on “google scholar” database for publications. results and discussion: the present face of nano interventions in car-t cell therapy has focused on improving various aspects of it; namely, (1) improving t cell manufacturing and transfecting tumor-specific cars in t cells by utilizing nanoparticulate rna vaccines, (2) overcoming t cell immunosuppression in the tme by using nanoparticles for photothermal therapy and cytokine delivery, (3) reducing systemic toxicity through introducing novel nanoformulations, (4) enhancing t cell tumor infiltration and prolonged persistence by inducing memory cell production, antigen spread or implementing nanocarriers with strong oxygen storage capacity. conclusion: given the unique attributes of nanomaterials to deliver, enhance, and regulate cancer immunotherapeutic agents, the combination of cancer immunotherapy with nanotechnology can radically change the landscape of cancer treatment.