scholarly journals Long-Circulating Polymeric Nanovectors for Tumor-Selective Gene Delivery

2005 ◽  
Vol 4 (6) ◽  
pp. 615-625 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sushma Kommareddy ◽  
Sandip B. Tiwari ◽  
Mansoor M. Amiji

Significant advances in the understanding of the genetic abnormalities that lead to the development, progression, and metastasis of neoplastic diseases has raised the promise of gene therapy as an approach to medical intervention. Most of the clinical protocols that have been approved in the United States for gene therapy have used the viral vectors because of the high efficiency of gene transfer. Conventional means of gene delivery using viral vectors, however, has undesirable side effects such as insertion of mutational viral gene into the host genome and development of replication competent viruses. Among non-viral gene delivery methods, polymeric nanoparticles are increasingly becoming popular as vectors of choice. The major limitation of these nanoparticles is poor transfection efficiency at the target site after systemic administration due to uptake by the cells of reticuloendothelial system (RES). In order to reduce the uptake by the cells of the RES and improve blood circulation time, these nanoparticles are coated with hydrophilic polymers such as poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG). This article reviews the use of such hydrophilic polymers employed for improving the circulation time of the nanocarriers. The mechanism of polymer coating and factors affecting the circulation time of these nanocarriers will be discussed. In addition to the long circulating property, modifications to improve the target specificity of the particles and the limitations of steric protection will be analyzed.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiao-Qi Yu ◽  
Rui-Mo Zhao ◽  
Yu Guo ◽  
Hui-Zhen Yang ◽  
Ji Zhang

The development of cationic non-viral gene vectors that may overcome the obstacles in gene delivery is of great significance to gene therapy. Metallic complexes with high affinity to nucleic acid...


2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (14) ◽  
pp. 7545
Author(s):  
Myriam Sainz-Ramos ◽  
Idoia Gallego ◽  
Ilia Villate-Beitia ◽  
Jon Zarate ◽  
Iván Maldonado ◽  
...  

Efficient delivery of genetic material into cells is a critical process to translate gene therapy into clinical practice. In this sense, the increased knowledge acquired during past years in the molecular biology and nanotechnology fields has contributed to the development of different kinds of non-viral vector systems as a promising alternative to virus-based gene delivery counterparts. Consequently, the development of non-viral vectors has gained attention, and nowadays, gene delivery mediated by these systems is considered as the cornerstone of modern gene therapy due to relevant advantages such as low toxicity, poor immunogenicity and high packing capacity. However, despite these relevant advantages, non-viral vectors have been poorly translated into clinical success. This review addresses some critical issues that need to be considered for clinical practice application of non-viral vectors in mainstream medicine, such as efficiency, biocompatibility, long-lasting effect, route of administration, design of experimental condition or commercialization process. In addition, potential strategies for overcoming main hurdles are also addressed. Overall, this review aims to raise awareness among the scientific community and help researchers gain knowledge in the design of safe and efficient non-viral gene delivery systems for clinical applications to progress in the gene therapy field.


2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (21) ◽  
pp. 5491 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patil ◽  
Gao ◽  
Lin ◽  
Li ◽  
Dang ◽  
...  

Gene therapy is manipulation in/of gene expression in specific cells/tissue to treat diseases. This manipulation is carried out by introducing exogenous nucleic acids, such as DNA or RNA, into the cell. Because of their negative charge and considerable larger size, the delivery of these molecules, in general, should be mediated by gene vectors. Non-viral vectors, as promising delivery systems, have received considerable attention due to their low cytotoxicity and non-immunogenicity. As research continued, more and more functional non-viral vectors have emerged. They not only have the ability to deliver a gene into the cells but also have other functions, such as the performance of fluorescence imaging, which aids in monitoring their progress, targeted delivery, and biodegradation. Recently, many reviews related to non-viral vectors, such as polymers and cationic lipids, have been reported. However, there are few reviews regarding functional non-viral vectors. This review summarizes the common functional non-viral vectors developed in the last ten years and their potential applications in the future. The transfection efficiency and the transport mechanism of these materials were also discussed in detail. We hope that this review can help researchers design more new high-efficiency and low-toxicity multifunctional non-viral vectors, and further accelerate the progress of gene therapy.


Author(s):  
Ilona Uzieliene ◽  
Ursule Kalvaityte ◽  
Eiva Bernotiene ◽  
Ali Mobasheri

Strategies for delivering nucleic acids into damaged and diseased tissues have been divided into two major areas: viral and non-viral gene therapy. In this mini-review article we discuss the application of gene therapy for the treatment of osteoarthritis (OA), one of the most common forms of arthritis. We focus primarily on non-viral gene therapy and cell therapy. We briefly discuss the advantages and disadvantages of viral and non-viral gene therapy and review the nucleic acid transfer systems that have been used for gene delivery into articular chondrocytes in cartilage from the synovial joint. Although viral gene delivery has been more popular due to its reported efficiency, significant effort has gone into enhancing the transfection efficiency of non-viral delivery, making non-viral approaches promising tools for further application in basic, translational and clinical studies on OA. Non-viral gene delivery technologies have the potential to transform the future development of disease-modifying therapeutics for OA and related osteoarticular disorders. However, further research is needed to optimize transfection efficiency, longevity and duration of gene expression.


2019 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 6-13 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kiel Sung Yong ◽  
◽  
Wan Kim Sung ◽  
◽  
◽  
...  

Gene therapy is the unique method for the use of genetic materials such as Messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA), plasmid deoxyribonucleic acid (pDNA), and small interfering ribonucleic acid (siRNA) into specific host-cells for the treatment of inherited disorders in any diseases. The successful way to utilize the gene therapy is to develop the efficient cancer gene delivery systems. In this paper, the successful and efficient gene delivery systems are briefly reviewed on the basis of bio-reducible polymeric systems for cancer therapy. The viral gene delivery systems such as RNA-based viral and DNA-based viral vectors are also discussed. The development of bio-reducible polymer for gene delivery system has briefly discussed for the efficient cancer gene delivery of viral vectors and non-viral vectors.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Moataz Dowaidar

Since their origin, non-viral gene delivery reagents have evolved into a variety of effective delivery reagents with a variety of components and designs, and are widely used in gene therapy and gene engineering. A flood of successful commercial gene delivery reagents has also developed, and PEI has emerged as the "gold standard" for the industry. On the other hand, their transfection efficiency must be enhanced and their cell toxicity must be reduced. In recent years, toxicity, efficiency and targeted investigations have progressed. In addition to creating and manufacturing reagents with reduced toxicity and higher efficiency, polypeptides that stimulate cell membrane perforation and tiny molecular compounds that can better compress pDNA, as well as various combinations with liposomes or polymer vectors, have demonstrated improved outcomes. However, most of these freshly created delivery vector reagents are still under investigation, and others require additional refinement to achieve high transfection efficiency and minimum toxicity. The processes behind the effects of various gene delivery reagents, genes, and drugs entering cells, as well as their transit, escape, and cell metabolism, are also unclear. This requires improving relevant research. Understanding why the same reagent reacts differently to different cell types is crucial to creating more adaptive transfection reagents for different cell lines. This is suggested because different cells have different growth cycles. Because of their weak proliferation capacity, primordial cells, for example, are harder to replicate.Artificial intelligence, real-world and virtual-world integration technology, big data, multiomics technology, and signal pathway research have all achieved substantial breakthroughs in recent years, and novel transfection reagents and drug delivery technologies are predicted to continue. It is worth examining how to take advantage of the scientific and high-efficiency benefits that new technology provides for research and how to solve the issues given by the in-depth examination of the selection and mechanism of action of novel composite materials in vector reagent creation.


2005 ◽  
Vol 387 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tim W. R. LEE ◽  
David A. MATTHEWS ◽  
G. Eric BLAIR

Gene therapy holds promise for the treatment of a range of inherited diseases, such as cystic fibrosis. However, efficient delivery and expression of the therapeutic transgene at levels sufficient to result in phenotypic correction of cystic fibrosis pulmonary disease has proved elusive. There are many reasons for this lack of progress, both macroscopically in terms of airway defence mechanisms and at the molecular level with regard to effective cDNA delivery. This review of approaches to cystic fibrosis gene therapy covers these areas in detail and highlights recent progress in the field. For gene therapy to be effective in patients with cystic fibrosis, the cDNA encoding the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator protein must be delivered effectively to the nucleus of the epithelial cells lining the bronchial tree within the lungs. Expression of the transgene must be maintained at adequate levels for the lifetime of the patient, either by repeat dosage of the vector or by targeting airway stem cells. Clinical trials of gene therapy for cystic fibrosis have demonstrated proof of principle, but gene expression has been limited to 30 days at best. Results suggest that viral vectors such as adenovirus and adeno-associated virus are unsuited to repeat dosing, as the immune response reduces the effectiveness of each subsequent dose. Nonviral approaches, such as cationic liposomes, appear more suited to repeat dosing, but have been less effective. Current work regarding non-viral gene delivery is now focused on understanding the mechanisms involved in cell entry, endosomal escape and nuclear import of the transgene. There is now increasing evidence to suggest that additional ligands that facilitate endosomal escape or contain a nuclear localization signal may enhance liposome-mediated gene delivery. Much progress in this area has been informed by advances in our understanding of the mechanisms by which viruses deliver their genomes to the nuclei of host cells.


2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (4) ◽  
pp. 269-284
Author(s):  
Mahmoud Gharbavi ◽  
Ali Sharafi ◽  
Saeed Ghanbarzadeh

In recent years, mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) as a new tool for therapeutic gene delivery in clinics have attracted much attention. Their advantages cover longer lifespan, better isolation, and higher transfection efficiency and proliferation rate. MSCs are the preferred approach for cell-based therapies because of their in vitro self-renewal capacity, migrating especially to tumor tissues, as well as anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory properties. Therefore, they have considerable efficiency in genetic engineering for future clinical applications in cancer gene therapy and other diseases. For improving therapeutic efficiency, targeted therapy of cancers can be achieved through the sustained release of therapeutic agents and functional gene expression induction to the intended tissues. The development of a new vector in gene therapy can improve the durability of a transgene expression. Also, the safety of the vector, if administered systemically, may resolve several problems, such as durability of expression and the host immune response. Currently, MSCs are prominent candidates as cell vehicles for both preclinical and clinical trials due to the secretion of therapeutic agents in several cancers. In the present study, we discuss the status of gene therapy in both viral and non-viral vectors along with their limitations. Throughout this study, the use of several nano-carriers for gene therapy is also investigated. Finally, we critically discuss the promising advantages of MSCs in targeted gene delivery, tumor inhibition and their utilization as the gene carriers in clinical situations.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kai Wang ◽  
Fusheng Shang ◽  
Dagui Chen ◽  
Tieliu Cao ◽  
Xiaowei Wang ◽  
...  

Abstract Effective methods to deliver therapeutic genes to solid tumors and improve their bioavailability are the main challenges of current medical research on gene therapy. The development of efficient non-viral gene vector with tumor-targeting has very important application value in the field of cancer therapy. Proteolipid integrated with tumor-targeting potential of functional protein and excellent gene delivery performance has shown potential for targeted gene therapy.Results: Herein, we prepared transferrin-modified liposomes (Tf-PL) for the targeted delivery of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) therapeutic gene to liver cancer. We found that the derived Tf-PL/AChE liposomes exhibited much higher transfection efficiency than the commercial product Lipo 2000 and shown premium targeting efficacy to liver cancer SMMC-7721 cells in vitro. In vivo, the Tf-PL/AChE could effectively target liver cancer, and significantly inhibit the growth of liver cancer xenografts grafted in nude mice by subcutaneous administration. Conclusion: This study proposed a transferrin-modified proteolipid-mediated gene delivery strategy for targeted liver cancer treatment, which has a promising potential for precise personalized cancer therapy.


2021 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kai Wang ◽  
Fusheng Shang ◽  
Dagui Chen ◽  
Tieliu Cao ◽  
Xiaowei Wang ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Effective methods to deliver therapeutic genes to solid tumors and improve their bioavailability are the main challenges of current medical research on gene therapy. The development of efficient non-viral gene vector with tumor-targeting has very important application value in the field of cancer therapy. Proteolipid integrated with tumor-targeting potential of functional protein and excellent gene delivery performance has shown potential for targeted gene therapy. Results Herein, we prepared transferrin-modified liposomes (Tf-PL) for the targeted delivery of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) therapeutic gene to liver cancer. We found that the derived Tf-PL/AChE liposomes exhibited much higher transfection efficiency than the commercial product Lipo 2000 and shown premium targeting efficacy to liver cancer SMMC-7721 cells in vitro. In vivo, the Tf-PL/AChE could effectively target liver cancer, and significantly inhibit the growth of liver cancer xenografts grafted in nude mice by subcutaneous administration. Conclusions This study proposed a transferrin-modified proteolipid-mediated gene delivery strategy for targeted liver cancer treatment, which has a promising potential for precise personalized cancer therapy.


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