Evolutionary Timeline of Genetic Delivery and Gene Therapy

2020 ◽  
Vol 20 ◽  
Author(s):  
Natalie J. Holl ◽  
Han-Jung Lee ◽  
Yue-Wern Huang

: There are more than 3,500 genes that are being linked to hereditary diseases or correlated with elevated risk of certain illnesses. As an alternative to conventional treatments with small molecule drugs, gene therapy has arisen as an effective treatment with the potential to not just alleviate disease conditions but also cure them completely. In order for these treatment regimens to work, genes or editing tools intended to correct diseased genetic material must be efficiently delivered to target sites. There have been many techniques developed to achieve such a goal. In this article, we systematically review a variety of gene delivery and therapy methods that include physical methods, chemical and biochemical methods, viral methods, and genome editing. We discuss their historical discovery, mechanisms, advantages, limitations, safety, and perspectives.

2015 ◽  
Vol 18 (3) ◽  
pp. 396 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mustafa Kotmakçı ◽  
Vildan Bozok Çetintaş

A new platform for drug, gene and peptide-protein delivery is emerging, under the common name of “extracellular vesicles”. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are 30-1000 nm-sized cell-derived, liposome-like vesicles. Current research on EVs as nano-delivery systems for small-molecule drugs and genetic material, reveal that these tiny, biologically-derived vesicles carry a great potential to boost the efficacy of many therapeutic protocols. Several features of EVs; from efficacy to safety, from passive to active targeting ability, the opportunity to be biologically or chemically labelled, and most importantly, their eobiotic origin make them promising candidate for development of the next generation personalized nanomedicines. The aim of this article is to provide a view on the current research in which EVs are used as drug/genetic material delivery systems. Their application areas, drug loading and targeting strategies, and biodistribution properties are discussed.This article is open to POST-PUBLICATION REVIEW. Registered readers (see “For Readers”) may comment by clicking on ABSTRACT on the issue’s contents page.


Cells ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (7) ◽  
pp. 1715
Author(s):  
Macus Hao-Ran Bao ◽  
Carmen Chak-Lui Wong

Hypoxia, low oxygen (O2) level, is a hallmark of solid cancers, especially hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), one of the most common and fatal cancers worldwide. Hypoxia contributes to drug resistance in cancer through various molecular mechanisms. In this review, we particularly focus on the roles of hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF)-mediated metabolic reprogramming in drug resistance in HCC. Combination therapies targeting hypoxia-induced metabolic enzymes to overcome drug resistance will also be summarized. Acquisition of drug resistance is the major cause of unsatisfactory clinical outcomes of existing HCC treatments. Extra efforts to identify novel mechanisms to combat refractory hypoxic HCC are warranted for the development of more effective treatment regimens for HCC patients.


Pharmaceutics ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 136
Author(s):  
Masahiko Terauchi ◽  
Atsushi Tamura ◽  
Yoshinori Arisaka ◽  
Hiroki Masuda ◽  
Tetsuya Yoda ◽  
...  

Oral tissue regeneration has received growing attention for improving the quality of life of patients. Regeneration of oral tissues such as alveolar bone and widely defected bone has been extensively investigated, including regenerative treatment of oral tissues using therapeutic cells and growth factors. Additionally, small-molecule drugs that promote bone formation have been identified and tested as new regenerative treatment. However, treatments need to progress to realize successful regeneration of oral functions. In this review, we describe recent progress in development of regenerative treatment of oral tissues. In particular, we focus on cyclodextrin (CD)-based pharmaceutics and polyelectrolyte complexation of growth factors to enhance their solubility, stability, and bioactivity. CDs can encapsulate hydrophobic small-molecule drugs into their cavities, resulting in inclusion complexes. The inclusion complexation of osteoinductive small-molecule drugs improves solubility of the drugs in aqueous solutions and increases in vitro osteogenic differentiation efficiency. Additionally, various anionic polymers such as heparin and its mimetic polymers have been developed to improve stability and bioactivity of growth factors. These polymers protect growth factors from deactivation and degradation by complex formation through electrostatic interaction, leading to potentiation of bone formation ability. These approaches using an inclusion complex and polyelectrolyte complexes have great potential in the regeneration of oral tissues.


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.


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