Harnessing Gene Editing Technology for Tumor Microenvironment Modulation: An Emerging Anticancer Strategy

Cancer is a multifaceted disease influenced by both intrinsic cellular traits and extrinsic factors, with the tumor microenvironment (TME) being crucial in its progression. To satisfy their high proliferation and aggressiveness, cancer cell always plunders large amounts of nutrition and releases various signals to the surrounding, forming a dynamic TME with special metabolic, immune, microbial and physical characteristics. Due to the neglect of interactions between tumor cell and TME, traditional cancer therapies often struggle with challenges such as drug resistance, low efficacy, and recurrence. Importantly, with the development of gene editing technologies, particularly the CRISPR‐Cas system, offers promising new strategies for cancer treatment. Combined with nanomaterials strategies, CRISPR‐Cas technology exhibits precision, affordability, and user‐friendliness with reduced side effects, which holds great promise for profoundly altering the TME at a genetic level, potentially leading to lasting anticancer outcomes. This review will delve into how CRISPR‐Cas can be leveraged to manipulate the TME, examining its potential as a transformative anticancer therapy.