title: Nucleic acid delivery into skin for the treatment of skin disease: Proofs-of-concept, potential impact, and remaining challenges.
abstract: Nucleic acids (NAs) hold significant potential for the treatment of several diseases. Topical delivery of NAs for the treatment of skin diseases is especially advantageous since it bypasses the challenges associated with systemic administration which suffers from enzymatic degradation, systemic toxicity and lack of targeting to skin. However, the skin's protective barrier function limits the delivery of NAs into skin after topical application. Here, we highlight strategies for enhancing delivery of NAs into skin, and provide evidence that translation of topical NA therapies could have a transformative impact on the treatment of skin diseases.
authors.affiliation: Center for Bioengineering and Department of Chemical Engineering, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA 93106, USA.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zakrewsky
authors.affiliation: Center for Bioengineering and Department of Chemical Engineering, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA 93106, USA.
authors.forename: Sunny
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kumar
authors.affiliation: Center for Bioengineering and Department of Chemical Engineering, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA 93106, USA. Electronic address: samir@engineering.ucsb.edu.
authors.forename: Samir
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mitragotri
mesh_terms: D000279:Administration, Cutaneous; D000818:Animals; D016503:Drug Delivery Systems; D006801:Humans; D009696:Nucleic Acids / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000493:pharmacokinetics / Q000627:therapeutic use; D012867:Skin / Q000378:metabolism; D012871:Skin Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D009696:Nucleic Acids
keywords: Dermal drug delivery; Nucleic acids; Skin disease