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Gene Therapy for Hepatocellular Carcinoma: Highlighting the Journey from Theory to Clinical Applications
Author(s) -
Younis Mahmoud A.,
Khalil Ikramy A.,
Harashima Hideyoshi
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
advanced therapeutics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.125
0ISSN - 2366-3987
DOI - 10.1002/adtp.202000087
Subject(s) - hepatocellular carcinoma , medicine , genetic enhancement , clinical trial , radiation therapy , gene delivery , bioinformatics , intensive care medicine , gene , cancer research , biology , biochemistry
Treatment for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is currently limited to early stages where surgical intervention is applicable. Meanwhile, the response for most chemotherapies is still low, leaving patients in advanced stages without an effective therapeutic approach. Other therapeutic strategies based on immunotherapies or radiotherapy have a narrow spectrum with multiple limitations. These collective drawbacks necessitate the development of alternative strategies. Gene therapy has achieved a breakthrough in the treatment of several diseases, especially tumors. In the current review, a discussion is provided on the various strategies that have been developed for HCC gene therapy, the functional and genetic materials used, and their diverse delivery systems, with a special focus on novel targeting strategies based on biomaterials, peptide libraries, and aptamers. In addition, animal models that have been used in preclinical evaluation of HCC gene therapies are highlighted and compared. Lastly, ongoing clinical trials and future perspectives for these strategies are discussed.