Advanced drug delivery platforms targeting cellular senescence: A promising strategy for cancer therapy

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Cell Biology
• Nanotechnology

Background:

• Cellular senescence is a cell cycle arrest state with distinct features like the senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP).
• Senescence has a multifaceted role in cancer, influencing progression, metabolism, immunity, and the tumor microenvironment.
• Harnessing senescence is a key strategy for developing novel cancer therapies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically review the biological characteristics of cellular senescence.
• To detail advances in nanodrug delivery systems (Nano-DDSs) targeting cancer senescence.
• To discuss clinical challenges and future directions for senescence-targeting Nano-DDSs in cancer therapy.

Main Methods:

• Review of biological features of cellular senescence.
• Analysis of recent developments in Nano-DDSs for targeting cancer senescence.
• Discussion of clinical translation challenges and interdisciplinary future research.

Main Results:

• Senescence exhibits key biological features including cell cycle arrest, morphological changes, metabolic reprogramming, and SASP.
• Nano-DDSs are being developed to target cancer senescence via four key mechanisms: inhibiting progression, metabolic imbalance, immune modulation, and microenvironment restructuring.
• Significant progress has been made in designing Nano-DDSs for senescence-targeting cancer therapies.

Conclusions:

• Understanding the multidimensional regulatory mechanisms of cellular senescence is crucial for designing effective Nano-DDSs.
• Nano-DDSs offer promising avenues for combination cancer therapies by targeting senescence.
• Further interdisciplinary research is needed to overcome clinical challenges and translate senescence-targeting strategies into effective treatments.