Biomedical Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
DNA. The drug-loaded PLGA/FPL NPs/DNA complexes offered advantages
to overcome problems, such as co-delivery of drugs and DNA to improving the
chemosensitivity of cancer cells at a gene level, and targeting delivery of drug
to the cancer tissue that enhanced the bioavailability and reduced the toxicity.
The results showed that these core-shell nanoparticles achieved the possibility
of co-delivering drugs and genes to the same cells with high gene transfection
and drug delivery efficiency. This suggested that the PLGA/FPL NPs may be a
useful drug and gene co-delivery system.
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4.7.3 Virus Mimic Vectors
An interesting challenge is to design artificial virus gene vectors that equal their
viral counterparts in terms of transfection efficiency, but which are safe to use,
target-cell specific, non-immunogenic, and relatively inexpensive to prepare at
scales that permit their clinical use.
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It is a challenging multidisciplinary task
that requires a broad and deep understanding of chemistry, biology, and
physiology, as well as medicine. The design of artificial viruses is also a good
example of nanotechnology, which involves the creation of a fully functional
gene-delivery system through the manipulation and assembly of macromole-
cular structures. There are three main structural components of artificial gene
delivery systems (Figure 4.14): (1) the plasmid vector, engineered for optimal
expression; (2) the artificial virus core, consisting of pDNA, condensing agents,
and functional peptides; and (3) the hydrophilic shell, exposing targeting
ligands for cell-type-specific gene delivery. However, at present, the concept of
an artificial virus as a gene delivery system is still immature, and more efforts
are needed to meet the objective of efficient, targeted gene delivery and long-
lasting gene expression in vivo.
Figure 4.14
Artificial virus gene delivery system.
