Biological delivery approaches for gene therapy: strategies to potentiate efficacy and enhance specificity

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Elham Mohit1, Sima Rafati

  • 1Department of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, School of Pharmacy, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.

Molecular Immunology
|August 6, 2013
PubMed

Insights

Biological delivery systems, including microorganism and cell-based approaches, are crucial for targeted gene therapy in cancer treatment. This review categorizes these systems and discusses their advancements for improved cancer gene delivery.

Area of Science:

  • Biotechnology
  • Molecular Biology
  • Cancer Research

Background:

  • Therapeutic agents like suicide genes, cytokines, and chemokines are delivered to cancer cells using various biological systems.
  • Gene delivery systems are essential for directing therapeutic genes to target cells, with some progressing to clinical trials.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review and categorize biological gene delivery systems for cancer therapy.
  • To discuss the principles, advancements, and challenges of microorganism and cell-based delivery systems.
  • To explore strategies for improving the specificity and efficacy of gene delivery.

Main Methods:

  • Categorization of biological gene delivery systems into microorganism-based and cell-based approaches.
  • Review of viral, bacterial, yeast, and parasite-based delivery systems.
  • Discussion of cell-based strategies including tumor cells, stem cells, dendritic cells, and Sertoli cells.

Main Results:

  • Biological delivery systems offer diverse strategies for cancer gene therapy.
  • Both microorganism and cell-based systems have shown promise in preclinical and clinical settings.
  • Ongoing research focuses on overcoming drawbacks and enhancing target specificity.

Conclusions:

  • Biological gene delivery systems are evolving, with advancements in both microorganism and cell-based approaches.
  • Continued development is crucial for creating next-generation cancer therapies with improved targeting and efficacy.
  • Understanding the principles and limitations of each system is key to optimizing their application.
Keywords:
Bacterial vectorsBiological delivery systemCancer vaccineDC vaccine and MSCs-based delivery systemViral vectors

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