Biomedical Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Chapter 3
Membrane/Core Nanoparticles for
Delivery of Therapeutic Nucleic Acid
Younjee Chung and Leaf Huang
*
Division of Molecular Pharmaceutics, UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy,
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
*
*leafh@unc.edu
Gene inhibitors, especially small interfering RNA (siRNA), have been
widely studied and are considered to have significant importance
in therapeutic application for various diseases. However, several
limitations related to delivery of those gene inhibitors have delayed
advancement in siRNA therapy. Physical and chemical instability
and rapid clearance of genes have been major problems in achieving
effective and efficient gene delivery. There have been extensive
studies to try to overcome these barriers using several different
types of delivery systems for both cellular and systemic delivery.
The ultimate goal of these studies is to develop an effective gene
delivery system, which can improve the stability of nucleic acid with
high biocompatibility. This system should have the capability to
induce cellular internalization and endosomal escape, followed by
a release of nucleic acid into the cytosol. Despite intensive efforts
in developing an effective nanocarrier system, efficient delivery of
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