Title:Breast Cancer Subtypes and Current Promising Genetic Engineering Tools for Breast Cancer Treatment - An Overview
Volume: 21
Issue: 1
Author(s): Eric Tzyy Jiann Chong*, Adlar Ryan Ngiam and Ping-Chin Lee
Affiliation:
- Biotechnology Research Institute, Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Jalan UMS, Kota Kinabalu 88400, Sabah, Malaysia
Keywords:
Breast cancer subtypes, genetic engineering tools, ZFNs, TALENs, CRISPR-Cas9, siRNA.
Abstract: Breast cancer poses a significant global health challenge, and if current trends persist, the
burden of breast cancer is projected to escalate, yielding over 3 million new cases and 1 million fatalities
annually by the year 2040. Breast cancer is a highly heterogeneous disease, presenting a spectrum
of subtypes, each characterized by unique clinical behaviors and responses to treatments. Understanding
these breast cancer subtypes is of paramount importance in the fields of oncology and
personalized medicine. In addition to conventional breast cancer treatments, such as surgery, chemotherapy,
radiotherapy, hormonal therapy, and immunotherapy, recent scientific advancements have
introduced a range of genetic engineering tools with noteworthy potential. Zinc finger nucleases
(ZFNs), transcription activator-like effector nucleases (TALENs), clustered regularly interspaced
short palindromic repeats (CRISPR), and small interfering RNA (siRNA) have emerged as promising
components of breast cancer treatment. These tools offer encouraging applications due to their precision
in targeting and manipulating genes. This review presents a comprehensive exploration of the
various subtypes of breast cancer, along with an examination of the current promising genetic engineering
tools in treating breast cancer. It sheds light on their roles in the evolving landscape of breast
cancer treatment.