title: Recent advances of biomaterials in biotherapy.
abstract: Biotherapy mainly refers to the intervention and the treatment of major diseases with biotechnologies or bio-drugs, which include gene therapy, immunotherapy (vaccines and antibodies), bone marrow transplantation and stem-cell therapy. In recent years, numerous biomaterials have emerged and were utilized in the field of biotherapy due to their biocompatibility and biodegradability. Generally, biomaterials can be classified into natural or synthetic polymers according to their source, both of which have attracted much attention. Notably, biomaterials-based non-viral gene delivery vectors in gene therapy are undergoing rapid development with the emergence of surface-modified or functionalized materials. In immunotherapy, biomaterials appear to be attractive means for enhancing the delivery efficacy and the potency of vaccines. Additionally, hydrogels and scaffolds are ideal candidates in stem-cell therapy and tissue engineering. In this review, we present an introduction of biomaterials used in above biotherapy, including gene therapy, immunotherapy, stem-cell therapy and tissue engineering. We also highlighted the biomaterials which have already entered the clinical evaluation.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Aging Research and Nanotoxicology, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, 610041, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Ling
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Aging Research and Nanotoxicology, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, 610041, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Zhi-Yao
authors.initials: ZY
authors.lastname: He
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Aging Research and Nanotoxicology, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, 610041, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Xia-Wei
authors.initials: XW
authors.lastname: Wei
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Aging Research and Nanotoxicology, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, 610041, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Yu-Quan
authors.initials: YQ
authors.lastname: Wei
keywords: biomaterials; biotherapy; gene delivery; immunotherapy; tissue engineering