Regulation of Cell Dynamics by Cell Surface Modification

Abstract

In Japan, 10 cell products have already been approved, including cell sheets, mesenchymal stem cells, and CAR-expressing T cells. Therapies that use cells as drugs also need to control their pharmacokinetics in the body, such as delivery to the therapeutic target site and enhanced adhesion to target cells.

In therapies using CAR-expressing T cells, viral vectors are used to induce CAR expression on the T cell membrane. Specific cell adhesion of the T cells via the CAR allows them to attack the therapeutic target cells, resulting in a therapeutic effect. This is an example of the effective therapeutic use of regulation of pharmacokinetics by modification of cell membrane surfaces.

In this paper, we first give an overview of the three approved cell preparations and cell kinetics, then introduce each cell membrane modification technique, such as gene transfer, chemical modification, and use of lipophilic anchors, and then present studies in which the kinetics of therapeutic cells were controlled by cell membrane modification using these techniques. Finally, we will also introduce our work on orientation-aligned modification of cell membranes with a small antibody as a target-directed molecule.

graphical abstract