Overcoming Immune Dysregulation with Immunoengineered Nanobiomaterials

Abstract

The immune system is governed by an immensely complex network of cells and both intracellular and extracellular molecular factors. It must respond to an ever-growing number of biochemical and biophysical inputs by eliciting appropriate and specific responses in order to maintain homeostasis. But as with any complex system, a plethora of false positives and false negatives can occur to generate dysregulated responses. Dysregulated immune responses are essential components of diverse inflammation-driven pathologies, including cancer, heart disease, and autoimmune disorders. Nanoscale biomaterials (i.e., nanobiomaterials) have emerged as highly customizable platforms that can be engineered to interact with and direct immune responses, holding potential for the design of novel and targeted approaches to redirect or inhibit inflammation. Here, we present recent developments of nanobiomaterials that were rationally designed to target and modulate inflammatory cells and biochemical pathways for the treatment of immune dysregulation.