| Basic principle |
Macrophages are isolated, engineered, characterized, and reinfused. |
CAR‐encoding payloads are delivered directly into the body to program endogenous macrophages in situ. |
| Safety profiles |
Possible off‐target tissue accumulation after infusion; integrating vectors pose insertional mutagenesis risks. |
Avoids live‐cell infusion; can use non‐integrating mRNA. Off‐target delivery remains a concern. |
| Controllability |
Cell dose, CAR expression, and initial phenotype can be predefined. |
Vehicle dose is controllable, but the number, location, and persistence of generated CAR‐M are less predictable. |
| Manufacturing complexity |
High complexity and cost; requires cell isolation, engineering, expansion, and quality control. |
Low complexity; avoids live‐cell processing and supports scalable off‐the‐shelf production. |
| Clinical applicability |
Suitable when precise product control is required, when endogenous macrophages are depleted, or when durable CAR expression is desired. |
Suitable for acute/subacute conditions, repeated transient intervention, or diseases with sufficient endogenous macrophage pools. |