By combining living cells with therapeutics, cell–drug conjugates can potentiate the functions of both components, particularly for applications in drug delivery and therapy. The conjugates can be designed to persist in the bloodstream, undergo chemotaxis, evade surveillance by the immune system, proliferate, or maintain or transform their cellular phenotypes. In this Review, we discuss strategies for the design of cell–drug conjugates with specific functions, the techniques for their preparation, and their applications in the treatment of cancers, autoimmune diseases and other pathologies. We also discuss the translational challenges and opportunities of this class of drug-delivery systems and therapeutics.

通过将活细胞与治疗剂相结合，细胞-药物偶联物可以增强两种成分的功能，特别是对于药物递送和治疗中的应用。偶联物可以设计为在血液中持续存在、进行趋化性、逃避免疫系统的监视、增殖或维持或改变其细胞表型。在这篇综述中，我们讨论了具有特定功能的细胞-药物偶联物的设计策略、它们的制备技术以及它们在治疗癌症、自身免疫性疾病和其他病理学中的应用。我们还讨论了这类药物递送系统和疗法的转化挑战和机遇。