Title:CRISPR/Cas9-based Gene Therapies for Fighting Drug Resistance Mediated by Cancer Stem Cells
Volume: 23
Issue: 1
Author(s): Masoumeh Eliyasi Dashtaki and Sorayya Ghasemi*
Affiliation:
- Cancer Research Center, Shahrekord University of Medical Sciences, Shahrekord, Iran
Keywords:
Cancer stem cells, CRISPR/Cas9 systems, drug resistance, targeting therapy, gene editing, stem cells.
Abstract: Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are cancer-initiating cells found in most tumors and hematological
cancers. CSCs are involved in cells progression, recurrence of tumors, and drug resistance. Current
therapies have been focused on treating the mass of tumor cells and cannot eradicate the CSCs. CSCs
drug-specific targeting is considered as an approach to precisely target these cells. Clustered regularly
interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR/Cas9) gene-editing systems are making progress and
showing promise in the cancer research field. One of the attractive applications of CRISPR/Cas9 as
one approach of gene therapy is targeting the critical genes involved in drug resistance and maintenance
of CSCs. The synergistic effects of gene editing as a novel gene therapy approach and traditional
therapeutic methods, including chemotherapy, can resolve drug resistance challenges and regression
of the cancers. This review article considers different aspects of CRISPR/Cas9 ability in the study and
targeting of CSCs with the intention to investigate their application in drug resistance.
