前沿科技及其它

Membrane electroporation (MEP) uses short high-voltage pulses to render cell membranes transiently porous and therewith permeable to otherwise impermeable substances. This technique was first described, in vitro, by Neumann in 1982 ( 1 ). In vivo, this method is restricted to solid tiss ...

The main challenges for application of gene therapy to patients are poor selectivity in vector targeting, insufficient gene transfer, and great difficulties in systemic treatment in association with safety concerns for particular vector systems. For success in gene therapy, safe, a ...

Ultrasound-mediated gene transfection (sonotransfection) has been shown to be a promising physical method for gene therapy, especially for cancer gene therapy. The procedure being done in vitro uses several ultrasound exposure (sonication) setups. Although high transfection ...

Gene therapy holds great promise for the treatment of cancer. The success of the strategy relies on effective gene transfer into tumor microenvironments. Although a variety of gene delivery vehicles, such as viral vectors, has been developed, most of them suffer from some limitations, inclu ...

Nonviral gene therapy vectors are commonly based on recombinant bacterial plasmids or their derivatives. The plasmids are propagated in bacteria, so, in addition to their therapeutic cargo, they necessarily contain a bacterial replication origin and a selection marker, usually a ge ...

A primary limitation to using nonviral vectors for cancer gene therapy is transient expression of the therapeutic gene. Even when the ultimate goal is tumor cell death, a minimum threshold of gene expression is required to kill tumor cells by direct or indirect mechanisms. It has been shown that tr ...

A large number of cancer gene therapy clinical trials are currently being performed that are attempting to evaluate novel approaches to eliminate tumor cells by the introduction of genetic material into patients. One of the most important objectives in gene therapy is the development of hi ...

Tumor-selective replication-competent viral vectors, such as oncolytic herpes simplex virus (HSV) type I (HSV-1), represent an attractive strategy for tumor-based therapies because these viruses can replicate and spread in situ exhibiting cytopathic effects through direct o ...

Adenovirus provides an attractive candidate tool to destroy tumor cells. However, to fulfill the expectations, selective targeting of tumor cells is mandatory. This chapter reviews critical aspects in the design of tumor-targeted adenovirus vectors and oncolytic adenoviruses. ...

During the last 4 decades, gene therapy has moved from preclinical to clinical studies for many diseases ranging from monogenic recessive disorders such as hemophilia to more complex diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular disorders, and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). To date, mo ...

Synthesis and evaluation of a novel cancer cell’s receptor-targeted internally quaternized and surface neutral poly(amidoamine) (PAMAM) generation four dendrimer as well as PAMAM–paclitaxel conjugate are described. The advantages of developed nanocarriers include but a ...

Cancer nanotechnology has the potential to dramatically improve current approaches to cancer detection, diagnosis, imaging, and therapy while reducing toxicity associated with traditional cancer therapy (1, 2). In this overview, we will define cancer nanotechnology, consider ...

Immunoliposomes generated by coupling of antibodies to the liposomal surface allow for an active tissue targeting, e.g., through binding to tumor cell-specific receptors. Instead of whole antibodies, single-chain Fv fragments (scFv), which represent the smallest part of an antibody ...

Nanotechnology is the key to a new, noninvasive photoacoustic imaging technique that could detect early stages of disease tissues. The combination of photoacoustic imaging with nanotechnology holds promise for determining the structural and functional properties of tissues w ...

Apoptosis, or programmed cell death, is a morphologically and biochemically distinct form of cell death, which together with proliferation plays an important role in tissue development and homeostasis. Insufficient apoptosis is important in the pathology of various disorders su ...

This chapter describes the application of gold nanorods in biomedical imaging and photothermal therapy. The photothermal properties of gold nanorods are summarized and the synthesis as well as antibody conjugation of gold nanorods is outlined. Biomedical applications of gold nan ...

Shortwave (MHz range) radiofrequency (RF) energy is nonionizing, penetrates deeply into biological tissues with no adverse side effects, and heats metallic nanoparticles efficiently. Targeted delivery of these nanoparticles to cancer cells should result in hyperthermic cy ...

In order to stop malignant tumor growth, 90% of a critical biochemical pathway needs to be blocked. Due to extraordinary advances in molecular biology, there is an increased understanding of rationale and relevant molecular targets in cancer. However, due to the heterogeneity of the molecul ...

Liposomal doxorubicin and nab-paclitaxel are nanoparticle formulations of traditional cancer chemotherapy drugs which have ample clinical experience both pre- and post-nanoparticle modification. The alterations in pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, efficac ...

Since their initial description in 1857, gold nanoparticles have been used extensively in the fields of diagnostics and therapeutics. Now, gold nanoparticles are engineered to target the delivery of potent anti-cancer therapeutics to solid tumors to improve either their safety or eff ...