Engineered Mesenchymal Stem/Stromal Cells for Cellular Therapies

The therapeutic potential of mesenchymal stem/stromal cells (MSCs) offers enormous hope for treating tissue defects and numerous diseases, including cancer. MSCs can self-renew, differentiate into multiple lineages, and exhibit proangiogenic and immunomodulatory effects. Along with these intrinsic properties, MSCs exhibit natural tropism toward inflamed tissue, which has led to the clinical application of these cells in different therapies. However, a significant barrier is the inability to localize the cells to the tissue of interest due to low homing efficiency, poor engraftment, and low cell retention. To circumvent these challenges, it is critical to develop engineering strategies that can improve tissue engraftment as well as enhance the therapeutic potential of these cells. In this chapter, we discuss the various nonviral chemical and biochemical cellular engineering approaches to modifying MSCs for improved cell targeting and their utility as delivery vehicles.