Figure 3.

Adoptive cell therapy and macrophage. (a) Primary chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) features are exposed. scFv: single-chain antibody variable fragment; TM: transmembrane domain. The bottom figure indicates the treatment with the fourth-generation CAR T-cell strategy. After engagement to tumor-associated antigen (TAA), CAR T-cells are activated and may exert antitumor activities by releasing cytotoxic molecules. Furthermore, CAR activation promotes the expression and secretion of IL-12 or IL-18 that may induce TAM shift to tumoricidal functions. (b) TAMs engineered with CAR new strategies implicate the CAR-modified macrophages. The table indicates CAR-modified macrophages, specific targets, intracellular CAR domains, and the main functional activities promoted by CAR macrophage engineering.