Title : Stem cell-based delivery of nanoparticle encapsulated drug for targeted cancer therapy
Abstract:
Cancer is one of the deadliest diseases and the leading cause of death worldwide in 2022. The prognosis and survival rate of patients with cancer remain extremely poor, despite surgery, chemo, radiation, and immunotherapies. As an alternative approach, stem cells have been applied to treat cancer over the past decade. Stem cells with the property of site-specific directed tropism for tumor cells have been exploited as vehicles for delivering bioactive molecules, genes, and drugs to cancer cells. Implementing nanotechnology in stem cell therapeutics has opened up a new area of research with vast possibilities for treating cancer cells. Nanoparticles are the most promising material for application in various fields of medicine, especially cancer therapy. They have been extensively studied and exploited as a drug delivery system for cancer treatment. Nanoparticles with selective toxicity to tumor cells can act as anti-tumor agents and carry the chemotherapeutic drugs without subjecting them to degradation before reaching the target site. However, the intracellular distribution of nanoparticles raises considerable concern. New paradigms allowing specific targeting and extensive intertumoral distribution must be developed to deliver nanoparticles efficiently. Stem cells with a targeted tropism are manipulated to act as vectors for nanoparticle-encapsulated drugs and are found to be a novel approach in treating cancers.
