Expansion and CAR engineering of granulocyte-monocyte progenitors for cellular immunotherapy

Abstract

Engineered macrophages are promising for tumor immunotherapy but are limited by poor ex vivo expansion, genetic tractability, and biodistribution after transfer. Here, we develop defined culture conditions that enable long-term expansion of mouse and human granulocyte-monocyte progenitors (GMPs) while preserving progenitor identity and myeloid potential, establishing GMPs as a renewable engineering platform. Mechanistically, we identify myeloperoxidase as a regulator of GMP proliferation. Expanded GMPs are readily engineered and, after transfer, seed hematopoietic niches and generate donor-derived myelopoiesis that restores antibacterial defense in chronic granulomatous disease mice and yields abundant tumor-infiltrating macrophages. GMPs engineered with chimeric antigen receptors (CARs) suppress CD19-positive leukemia and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-positive solid tumors. We further introduce a CAR incorporating an immunoglobulin G (IgG) Fc domain that recruits host Fc receptor-expressing phagocytes, enables T cell priming across major histocompatibility complex (MHC) mismatch, and enhances efficacy in immunocompetent allogeneic cancer models. Together, these findings establish expandable GMPs as a scalable platform for engineered immunotherapy.