title: Biomaterials for enhancing anti-cancer immunity.
abstract: Cancer immunotherapy is becoming a standard approach to treat many cancers. However, shortcomings of current methods limit therapeutic benefit in many patients. Rationally designed biomaterial strategies to deliver immune modulatory drugs can potentially show improved safety profiles, while providing multifunctional and spatiotemporally controlled signals to immune cells to improve their anti-cancer activity. This brief review describes biomaterials-based strategies that enhance immune cell function at various tissue sites to improve anti-cancer immunity. Continued collaboration between bioengineers, immunologists, industry, and clinicians is required for biomaterial-based immunotherapy strategies to continue moving to the clinic.
authors.affiliation: John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA; Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, Harvard University, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA.
authors.forename: Sandeep T
authors.initials: ST
authors.lastname: Koshy
authors.affiliation: John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA; Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, Harvard University, Boston, MA 02115, USA. Electronic address: mooneyd@seas.harvard.edu.
authors.forename: David J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Mooney
mesh_terms: D000938:Antigen-Presenting Cells / Q000187:drug effects; D001672:Biocompatible Materials / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006801:Humans; D056747:Immunomodulation / Q000187:drug effects; D007167:Immunotherapy; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000276:immunology*; D059016:Tumor Microenvironment / Q000187:drug effects
chemical_list: D001672:Biocompatible Materials