Cationic lipid-DNA complexes in gene delivery: From biophysics to biological applications

ORCiD

Nejat Düzgüneş: 0000-0001-6159-1391

Department

Biomedical Sciences

Document Type

Article

Publication Title

Advanced Drug Delivery Reviews

ISSN

0169-409X

Volume

47

Issue

2-3

DOI

10.1016/S0169-409X(01)00110-7

First Page

277

Last Page

294

Publication Date

4-25-2001

Abstract

Great expectations from the application of gene therapy approaches to human disease have been impaired by the unsatisfactory clinical progress observed. Among others, the use of an efficient carrier for nucleic acid-based medicines is considered to be a determinant factor for the successful application of this promising therapeutic strategy. The drawbacks associated with the use of viral vectors, namely those related with safety problems, have prompted investigators to develop alternative methods for gene delivery, cationic lipid-based systems being the most representative. This review focuses on the various parameters that are considered to be crucial to optimize the use of cationic lipid-DNA complexes for gene therapy purposes. Particular emphasis is devoted to the analysis of the different stages involved in the transfection process, from the biophysical aspects underlying the formation of the complexes to the different biological barriers that need to be surpassed for gene expression to occur. © 2001 Elsevier Science B.V.

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