title: Targeted nucleic acid delivery into tumors: new avenues for cancer therapy.
abstract: Unique properties of tumors, such as abnormalities in the cell cycle and apoptosis, migration and metastasis, neoangiogenesis or unique antigen profiles are targets for therapeutic anti-cancer strategies. Beyond the selection of such strategies, additional specificity for the targeted tumor tissue can be accomplished in cancer gene therapy in several ways. Upon systemic administration, appropriately packaged therapeutic nucleic acid may be preferentially transported into the tumor tissue (targeted delivery); formulation can mediate the intracellular uptake of the nucleic acid into the nucleus of target cells only (transductional targeting); and/or the use of specific promotor/enhancer elements can restrict transcription of therapeutic genes to the target cells only (transcriptional targeting). Options for physical and biological targeting of nucleic acid formulations into tumors and therapeutic approaches are reviewed.
authors.affiliation: Pharmaceutical Biology-Biotechnology, Department of Pharmacy, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Butenandtstr. 5-13, 81377 Munich, Germany. ernst.wagner@cup.uni-muenchen.de
authors.forename: Ernst
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Wagner
authors.forename: Ralf
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kircheis
authors.forename: Greg F
authors.initials: GF
authors.lastname: Walker
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D016503:Drug Delivery Systems / Q000379:methods*; D015316:Genetic Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy*; D009696:Nucleic Acids / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000627:therapeutic use
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D009696:Nucleic Acids