磁性纳米技术在癌症基因治疗中的应用

The Application of Magnetic Nanoparticle Technology in Cancer Gene Therapy

癌症基因组的最新进展使直接针对癌症基因进行治疗具有极大的可能性。然而,需要新的基因传递方法使这种潜力向临床应用转化,为治疗病人服务。磁性纳米技术是通过外部磁场选择性地高效传递治疗基因,还能同时用影像监测体内的传递过程。相比传统的基因传递方法,这种技术能明显提高人类移植肿瘤和不同的内脏器官如肝、肾及中枢神经系统的基因传递效率。因此,磁性纳米技术使活体内癌症的基因治疗进入到新的前沿领域。

Recent advances in cancer genomics have opened up unlimited potential for treating cancer by directly targeting culprit genes. However, novel delivery methods are needed in order for this potential to be translated into clinically viable treatments for patients. Magnetic nanoparticle technology offers the potential to achieve selective and efficient delivery of therapeutic genes by using external magnetic fields, and also allows simultaneous imaging to monitor the delivery in vivo. Compared to conventional gene delivery strategies, this technique has been shown to significantly increase gene delivery to human xenograft tumors models, as well as various internal organs（e.g. liver, kidney） and the central nervous system. Magnetic nanoparticle technology, therefore, has the potential to turn the challenge of gene therapy in vivo into a new frontier for cancer treatment.