Science
L. BRYAN RAY AND PRISCILLA N. KELLY
24 Nov 2022
Cell Engineering — Special Section
Cover
The drawing evokes the powerful and momentous potential of cell engineering.
The ability to alter cellular regulatory circuitry enables researchers to design modified cells to advance basic science and improve therapies.
Investigators can now modify various cell types or groups of cells to operate as smart agents that facilitate experimentation or execute diagnostico
Editorial
The successful use of engineered white blood cells (cells that are removed from the human body, modified with receptors that allow them to recognize cancer cells, and then returned to the body) to fight and eliminate tumor cells has frequently been called revolutionary and has even allowed researchers the rare opportunity to refer to a cure for certain cancers.
Remarkably, this so-called CAR T cell technology is but one example from a burgeoning area of investigation in which cells can be customized to perform functions that bring us closer to realizing long-imagined medical and basic science applications.
Remarkably, this so-called CAR T cell technology is but one example from a burgeoning area of investigation in which cells can be customized to perform functions that bring us closer to realizing long-imagined medical and basic science applications.
These efforts in cell engineering are the focus of this special issue.
Decades of fundamental research on biological regulatory mechanisms have revealed basic principles and the characteristic modularity of cellular signaling systems that now allow researchers to endow cells with new or modified sensors that evoke desired cellular responses.
Internally, cells can be programmed with logic circuits that respond appropriately to specified cues.
In this way, cells or groups of cells can be turned into an arsenal of diagnostic and therapeutic agents capable of seeking out their targets and initiating actions that closely resemble those of natural biological regulatory systems.
…cells or groups of cells can be turned into an arsenal of diagnostic and therapeutic agents capable of seeking out their targets and initiating actions that closely resemble those of natural biological regulatory systems.
The seemingly unlimited potential of cell engineering includes
- creating alternatives to common drug or gene-based therapeutics;
- devising improved strategies against cancer,
- inflammatory diseases, and other maladies;
- designing tissue regeneration and repair options;
- exploring the intricate dimensions of human development;
- and enhancing our fundamental understanding of how complex biological systems are controlled.
Table of Contents (TOC)
Originally published at https://www.science.org
