Developing engineering technologies for the treatment of systemic lupus erythematosus

Abstract

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a complex autoimmune disease that affects multiple organs and tissues. However, only a handful of new drugs have been FDA-approved for SLE since the 1950s. Therefore, novel treatments for SLE are urgently needed to be developed. In recent years, various engineering technologies such as tissue engineering, organs-on-chips, and intelligent delivery systems have been rapidly developed in the field of biomedicine. Notably, engineered nanocarriers and cell-based therapies can address the problems faced by traditional drug delivery and cell transplantation. They have proven effective in the treatment of many areas of disease, including autoimmune diseases. This is an important opportunity to break through the limited treatment options for SLE. In this review, we summarize the application progresses of engineering technologies and also propose their challenges in SLE treatment. This paper aims to help readers to understand the perspective of engineering technologies on the direction of SLE treatments in forthcoming years.