Engineered adult stem cells: a promising tool for anti-cancer therapy

BMB Rep. 2023 Feb;56(2):71-77. doi: 10.5483/BMBRep.2022-0091.

Abstract

Cancers are one of the most dreaded diseases in human history and have been targeted by numerous trials including surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and anti-cancer drugs. Adult stem cells (ASCs), which can regenerate tissues and repair damage, have emerged as leading therapeutic candidates due to their homing ability toward tumor foci. Stem cells can precisely target malicious tumors, thereby minimizing the toxicity of normal cells and unfavorable side effects. ASCs, such as mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), neural stem cells (NSCs), and hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs), are powerful tools for delivering therapeutic agents to various primary and metastatic cancers. Engineered ASCs act as a bridge between the tumor sites and tumoricidal reagents, producing therapeutic substances such as exosomes, viruses, and anti-cancer proteins encoded by several suicide genes. This review focuses on various anti-cancer therapies implemented via ASCs and summarizes the recent treatment progress and shortcomings. [BMB Reports 2023; 56(2): 71-77].

Publication types

  • Review
  • News

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Adult Stem Cells*
  • Antineoplastic Agents* / therapeutic use
  • Hematopoietic Stem Cells
  • Humans
  • Mesenchymal Stem Cells* / metabolism
  • Neoplasms* / therapy

Substances

  • Antineoplastic Agents

Grants and funding

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This work was supported by the Basic Science Research Program (2020R1A2C2006060) and the Global Research and Development Center (GRDC) Program (2017K1A4A3014959) through the National Research Foundation (NRF) of Korea, funded by the Ministry of Science and ICT. In addition, this work was also supported by the Basic Research Lab Program (2022R1A4A1025557) through the National Research Foundation (NRF) of Korea, funded by the Ministry of Science and ICT.