Tumor microenvironment based stimuli-responsive CRISPR/Cas delivery systems: A viable platform for interventional...

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Molecular Biology
• Oncology

Background:

• Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)/CRISPR-associated protein (Cas) systems offer versatile cancer gene therapy potential.
• Challenges include non-specific delivery and genotoxicity, limiting clinical applications.
• The tumor microenvironment (TME) presents opportunities for targeted delivery strategies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review CRISPR/Cas systems used in cancer therapy.
• To discuss stimuli-responsive delivery systems for TME-specific CRISPR/Cas applications.
• To summarize the efficiency of these advanced delivery systems.

Main Methods:

• Review of current literature on CRISPR/Cas systems in cancer gene therapy.
• Analysis of various stimuli-responsive materials and their integration into CRISPR/Cas carriers.
• Evaluation of in vitro and in vivo studies on CRISPR/Cas-loaded carriers.

Main Results:

• CRISPR/Cas systems are adaptable tools for cancer gene therapy.
• Stimuli-responsive delivery systems enable tumor-specific genome editing.
• Dual- and multiple-responsive carriers demonstrate enhanced spatiotemporal control.
• CRISPR/Cas-loaded carriers show promising editing efficiencies in preclinical models.

Conclusions:

• Stimuli-responsive CRISPR/Cas delivery systems are a promising strategy for cancer gene therapy.
• These systems can overcome limitations of non-specific delivery and genotoxicity.
• Further development holds potential for improved cancer treatment outcomes.