In cancer immunotherapy, immune cells are the main force for tumor eradication. However, they appear to be dysfunctional due to the taming of the tumor immunosuppressive microenvironment. Recently, many materials-engineered strategies are proposed to enhance the anti-tumor effect of immune cells. These strategies either utilize biomimetic materials, as building blocks to construct inanimate entities whose functions are similar to natural living cells, or engineer immune cells with functional materials, to potentiate their anti-tumor effects. In this review, we will summarize these advanced strategies in different cell types, as well as discussing the prospects of this field.
Keywords: biomimetic engineering; cancer immunotherapy; immune cell; materials-potentiated cell engineering.