iPSC-derived macrophages

iPSC-derived macrophages (iMACs) represent a cell therapy platform where macrophages are differentiated from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) for therapeutic applications. This approach enables the generation of standardized, "off-the-shelf" myeloid cell products that can be mass-produced from a single master cell bank, overcoming the scalability and variability issues associated with donor-derived primary macrophages. iMACs can be genetically engineered at the iPSC stage to enhance their therapeutic functions, such as knocking out the SIRPα receptor to bypass CD47-mediated "don't eat me" signals in oncology, or engineering them to deliver anti-inflammatory biologics like soluble TNF receptors in an autoregulated manner for chronic inflammatory diseases. These cells retain key functional characteristics of tissue-resident macrophages, including phagocytosis, cytokine release, and chemotaxis, making them versatile candidates for treating solid tumors, rheumatoid arthritis, and other immune-mediated conditions.

Other names

iMACsinduced pluripotent stem cell-derived macrophages