Dear Colleagues,

Macrophages are a major component of the solid tumor microenvironment. Depending on their activation status, macrophages can exert dual influences on tumorigenesis, by either promoting tumor growth or by enhancing antitumor responses. Currently, there are two main macrophage-centered anticancer therapeutic strategies, namely: (1) depletion/re-education of disease-promoting tumor-associated macrophages (TAM), and (2) adoptive transfer of designer macrophages reprogrammed/engineered ex vivo and possessing anti-tumor activities. While TAM-targeting therapy has already yielded promising results in both preclinical and clinical trials, adoptive macrophage transfer is a relatively new paradigm. There is a strong hope that designer macrophages will finally deliver on the promise of adoptive cell immunotherapy for solid tumors. Indeed, the problem with the adoptive transfer of T cells and other lymphocytes is that they cannot easily reach the solid tumor microenvironment and persist once there. In contrast, macrophages and other phagocytes naturally traffic to tumors. This makes them “the perfect cell” type to reprogram for tumor-targeting purposes. This Special Issue will be dedicated to the current knowledge available on the pathophysiological role of macrophages in cancer and macrophage-centered approaches to anticancer therapy, including experimental tumor models. We welcome contributions in the form of original research articles and reviews.

Dr. Larisa Kuznetsova
Prof. Dr. Igor Malyshev
Guest Editors

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• solid tumors
• tumor microenvironment
• macrophages
• immunotherapy
• TAM targeting
• adoptive cell transfer
• ex vivo macrophage reprogramming