T cell-inspired therapeutic delivery platforms: From nanomedicines to cell therapy

Targeted nanodrug delivery has garnered significant interest as a carrier for drugs, genes, and vaccines. Despite their clinical potential, these nanocarriers face substantial challenges due to their exogenous nature. These challenges can be addressed by employing T cell-inspired approaches for targeted therapies. T cell-inspired approaches-including T cell membrane-coated nanoparticles, T cell-derived exosomes, T cell hitchhiking, and chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T cells-exhibit remarkable properties such as inherent biocompatibility and biodegradability, prolonged circulation lifespan, and the ability to traverse biological barriers. Utilizing T cells as delivery vehicles enables prolonged circulation time and targeted drug transport, along with reduced toxicity to cells and tissues. This review explores innovative T cell-derived approaches, including T cell membrane-coated nanoparticles, T cell-derived exosomes, T cell hitchhiking, and CAR-T cells. We discuss how these methods improve biodistribution, tissue penetration, and immune evasion while preserving T cell functionality in cancer therapies, autoimmune disorders, cardiovascular diseases, and infectious diseases. By comparing conventional nanomedicine approaches with emerging T cell-based delivery systems, this review explores the transformative capability of T cell-inspired delivery in enhancing therapeutic outcomes. Finally, we address current limitations and future directions, including advanced engineering techniques, which could further refine this promising approaches.