CRISPRed Macrophages for Cell-Based Cancer Immunotherapy

Bioconjug Chem. 2018 Feb 21;29(2):445-450. doi: 10.1021/acs.bioconjchem.7b00768. Epub 2018 Jan 22.

Abstract

We present here an integrated nanotechnology/biology strategy for cancer immunotherapy that uses arginine nanoparticles (ArgNPs) to deliver CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing machinery into cells to generate SIRP-α knockout macrophages. The NP system efficiently codelivers single guide RNA (sgRNA) and Cas9 protein required for editing to knock out the "don't eat me signal" in macrophages that prevents phagocytosis of cancer cells. Turning off this signal increased the innate phagocytic capabilities of the macrophages by 4-fold. This improved attack and elimination of cancer cells makes this strategy promising for the creation of "weaponized" macrophages for cancer immunotherapy.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • CRISPR-Cas Systems*
  • Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats
  • Gene Editing / methods*
  • Gene Knockout Techniques / methods
  • Humans
  • Immunotherapy / methods
  • Macrophages / immunology
  • Macrophages / metabolism*
  • Mice
  • Nanomedicine / methods
  • Neoplasms / immunology
  • Neoplasms / therapy
  • Phagocytosis
  • RAW 264.7 Cells
  • Receptors, Immunologic / genetics*
  • Receptors, Immunologic / immunology

Substances

  • Ptpns1 protein, mouse
  • Receptors, Immunologic