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Nanocarrier-Based Gene Delivery Systems: Mechanisms, Clinical Translation, and Future Perspectives.
Rahat Fatima Naqvi1, Muhammad Ali1, Sadia Ahmed Zuberi1
1Department of Pharmaceutics, Faculty of Pharmacy, Salim Habib University, Karachi, Pakistan.
Biotechnology and Bioengineering
|June 29, 2026
Summary
Nanocarriers offer promising solutions for safe and effective gene delivery, overcoming major hurdles in treating genetic disorders and cancers. Future research focuses on advanced, targeted nanocarrier systems for clinical translation.
Area of Science:
- Biotechnology
- Nanomedicine
- Molecular Biology
Background:
- Gene therapy presents a revolutionary approach for treating genetic disorders, cancers, and infectious diseases.
- Efficient and safe delivery of DNA or RNA to target cells remains a significant challenge in gene therapy.
- Nanocarrier-based systems are emerging as key solutions for overcoming gene delivery obstacles.
Purpose of the Study:
- To critically examine nanocarrier-based approaches for gene delivery, including viral and non-viral systems.
- To provide a comparative analysis of various gene delivery systems.
- To identify key challenges hindering the clinical translation of gene delivery technologies.
Main Methods:
- Review of current literature on nanocarrier-based gene delivery systems.
- Analysis of advancements in CRISPR-Cas genome editing, machine learning-assisted nanocarrier optimization, and biologically inspired delivery systems.
- Comparative evaluation of viral and non-viral gene delivery strategies.
Main Results:
- Nanocarrier-based systems, encompassing both viral and non-viral strategies, show significant potential for gene delivery.
- Emerging technologies like CRISPR-Cas, AI-driven optimization, and biomimetic systems are rapidly advancing the field.
- Key challenges to clinical translation include safety, efficacy, targeting precision, and scalability.
Conclusions:
- Development of multifunctional, precisely targeted, and scalable nanocarrier delivery systems is crucial for clinical success.
- Integration of these advanced delivery systems with next-generation therapeutic technologies is a key future direction.
- Continued research is essential to translate the potential of nanocarrier-based gene therapy into effective clinical treatments.
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