Update on non-viral delivery methods for cancer therapy: possibilities of a drug delivery system with anticancer activities beyond delivery as a new therapeutic tool.
BACKGROUND
Cancer is the most formidable human disease. Owing to the heterogeneity of cancer, a single-treatment modality is insufficient for the complete elimination of cancer cells. Therapeutic strategies from various aspects are needed for cancer therapy. These therapeutic agents should be carefully selected to enhance multiple therapeutic pathways. Non-viral delivery methods have been utilized to enhance the tumor-selective delivery of therapeutic molecules, including proteins, synthetic oligonucleotides, small compounds and genes.


METHODS
As non-viral delivery methods, liposomes and polymer-based delivery materials to target tumors mainly by systemic delivery, physical methods including electroporation, sonoporation, and so on, to locally inject therapeutic molecules, and virosomes to use the viral infectious machinery for the delivery of therapeutic molecules are summarized.


RESULTS
This article aims to provide an overview of the characteristic properties of each non-viral vector. It will be beneficial to utilize appropriately the vector for cancer treatment.


CONCLUSIONS
Efficient and minimally invasive vectors are generally considered to be the ideal drug delivery system (DDS). However, against cancer, DDS equipped with antitumor activities may be a therapeutic choice. By combining therapeutic molecules with DDS having antitumor activities, enhancement of the multiple therapeutic pathways may be achieved.
Kaneda
Yasufumi
Y
Osaka University, Graduate School of Medicine, Division of Gene Therapy Science, Suita, Osaka, Japan. kaneday@gts.med.osaka-u.ac.jp
D000818:Animals; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D004337:Drug Carriers / Q000737:chemistry; D016503:Drug Delivery Systems; D015316:Genetic Therapy / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D008081:Liposomes; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy; D011108:Polymers / Q000737:chemistry; D022701:Virosomes
D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D004337:Drug Carriers; D008081:Liposomes; D011108:Polymers; D022701:Virosomes