ABSTRACT
Gene therapy (GT) using nanocarriers has the potential to have a revolutionary impact on cancer treatment. Non-viral GT has been largely ignored in the past due to ineffi cient gene delivery, toxicity and short-term gene expression. However, recent advances in nanoparticle technology and in the genetic material to be transferred are dramatically changing the popularity of this gene transfer methodology. New nanoparticles with better DNA compaction capacities, endosome escaping properties and nuclear import signals have recently been developed. Furthermore, the versatility of nanoparticles engenders optimism since may well yield active, highly-targeted delivery vectors suitable for in vivo applications in cancer GT. In this chapter, the authors review recent advances in gene delivery for cancer therapy using nanoparticles. In particular, the authors focus on the results obtained in clinical trials and experimental, clinically-relevant animal models.
