Smart bullets: hijacking tumor macrophages to unmask cytokine potency

Solid tumors evade immunotherapy by forming a suppressive myeloid barrier that limits T and NK cell activity. A study recently published at Cell reports myeloid-targeted immunocytokines and NK/T cell enhancers (MiTEs) conditionally activate cytokines within tumors, coupling myeloid reprogramming to effector stimulation; in vivo, MiTEs remodel tumor myeloid states, amplify cytotoxic lymphocyte programs, and improve tumor control, offering a modular strategy for combination immunotherapy.