Tumor-Targeted Interferon-α Delivery by Tie2-Expressing Monocytes Inhibits Tumor Growth and Metastasis

The use of type I interferons (IFNs) in cancer therapy has been limited by ineffective dosing and significant toxicity. Here, we exploited the tumor-homing ability of proangiogenic Tie2-expressing monocytes (TEMs) to deliver IFN-α to tumors. By transplanting hematopoietic progenitors transduced with a Tie2 promoter/enhancer-driven Ifna1 gene, we turned TEMs into IFN-α cell vehicles that efficiently targeted the IFN response to orthotopic human gliomas and spontaneous mouse mammary carcinomas and obtained significant antitumor responses and near complete abrogation of metastasis. TEM-mediated IFN-α delivery inhibited tumor angiogenesis and activated innate and adaptive immune cells but did not impair myelopoiesis and wound healing detectably. These results illustrate the therapeutic potential of gene- and cell-based IFN-α delivery and should allow the development of IFN treatments that more effectively treat cancer.