Gene Therapy Using Nanocarriers for Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma: Applications and Challenges in Cancer Therapeutics

Abstract

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is one of the most lethal cancers worldwide, and its incidence is increasing. PDAC often shows resistance to several therapeutic modalities and a higher recurrence rate after surgical treatment in the early localized stage. Combination chemotherapy in advanced pancreatic cancer has minimal impact on overall survival. RNA interference (RNAi) is a promising tool for regulating target genes to achieve sequence-specific gene silencing. Here, we summarize RNAi-based therapeutics using nanomedicine-based delivery systems that are currently being tested in clinical trials and are being developed for the treatment of PDAC. Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)/CRISPR-associated protein 9 (Cas9) genome editing has been widely used for the development of cancer models as a genetic screening tool for the identification and validation of therapeutic targets, as well as for potential cancer therapeutics. This review discusses current advances in CRISPR/Cas9 technology and its application to PDAC research. Continued progress in understanding the PDAC tumor microenvironment and nanomedicine-based gene therapy will improve the clinical outcomes of patients with PDAC.

The Multifaceted Role of miR-21 in Pancreatic Cancers

“…Sophisticated interdisciplinary efforts integrating in-depth biological knowledge and cutting-edge biotechnology have elucidated our view of microRNAs in human cancer [ 253 , 254 ]. We have considerably advanced our understanding of miR-21 in PDAC over the past few years with newly developed genetic mouse models [ 247 ] and revolutionary genome editing techniques [ 255 ].…”

Revitalizing oral cancer research: Crispr-Cas9 technology the promise of genetic editing

“…CRISPR/Cas9 technology has shown promise in the treatment of pancreatic cancer, with potential applications in gene editing and targeted therapy ( 26 ). This technology, when combined with nanocarriers, has the potential to improve clinical outcomes for patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) ( 27 ). Furthermore, CD73 deletion inhibited the ERK/STAT3 pathway and activated the E-cadherin pathway in human and murine cell lines ( 28 ).…”