Delivery of nucleic acid drugs for tumor therapy: Opportunities and challenges

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Nanotechnology
• Drug Delivery Systems

Background:

• The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the potential of nucleic acid drugs for rapid vaccine development.
• Systemic administration of nucleic acid drugs faces challenges including nuclease degradation, poor cellular entry due to hydrophilicity, and potential side effects.
• Current delivery systems for nucleic acid drugs present significant scientific and technical hurdles, limiting their therapeutic application.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore barriers in nucleic acid drug delivery.
• To present methods for enhancing intracellular uptake of nucleic acid drugs.
• To provide guidance for designing effective nucleic acid carriers and discuss advancements in nano drug delivery systems (NDDS) for nucleic acid therapeutics.

Main Methods:

• Review of current literature on nucleic acid drug delivery barriers.
• Exploration of nanotechnology and biomedical engineering advancements.
• Analysis of existing and emerging nano drug delivery systems (NDDS).

Main Results:

• Identification of key barriers hindering systemic and intracellular delivery of nucleic acid drugs.
• Discussion of strategies to enhance cellular uptake and overcome nuclease degradation.
• Overview of recent progress in developing NDDS for nucleic acid therapeutics.

Conclusions:

• Overcoming intraneous delivery barriers is critical for the next generation of nucleic acid drugs.
• Advancements in nanotechnology and biomedical engineering are driving the development of novel NDDS.
• Effective NDDS design is essential for realizing the full potential of nucleic acid drugs in precision medicine.