No abstract

No abstract

No abstract

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is an emerging theranostic modality for various cancers and diseases. The focus of this study was the development of tumor-targeting albumin nanoparticles containing photosensitizers for efficient PDT. To produce tumor-targeting albumin nanoparticles, the hydrophobic photosensitizer, chlorin e6 (Ce6), was chemically conjugated to human serum albumin (HSA). The conjugates formed self-assembled nanoparticle structures with an average diameter of 88 nm under aqueous conditions. As expected, the Ce6-conjugated HSA nanoparticles (Ce6-HSA-NPs) were nontoxic in their native state, but upon illumination with the appropriate wavelength of light, they produced singlet oxygen and damaged target tumor cells in a cell culture system. Importantly, when the nanoparticles were injected through the tail vein into tumor-bearing HT-29 mice, Ce6-HSA-NPs compared with free Ce6 revealed enhanced tumor-specific biodistribution and successful therapeutic results following laser irradiation. These results suggest that highly tumor-specific albumin nanoparticles have the potential to serve not only as efficient therapeutic agents, but also as photodynamic imaging (PDI) reagents in cancer treatment.

No abstract

No abstract

Small interfering RNA (siRNA) has gained attention as a potential therapeutic reagent due to its ability to inhibit specific genes in many genetic diseases. For many years, studies of siRNA have progressively advanced toward novel treatment strategies against cancer. Cancer is caused by various mutations in hundreds of genes including both proto-oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes. In order to develop siRNAs as therapeutic agents for cancer treatment, delivery strategies for siRNA must be carefully designed and potential gene targets carefully selected for optimal anti-cancer effects. In this review, various modifications and delivery strategies for siRNA delivery are discussed. In addition, we present current thinking on target gene selection in major tumor types.

No abstract