Title:Nano-Delivery in Pediatric Tumors: Looking Back, Moving Forward
Volume: 17
Issue: 10
Author(s): Marta Colletti, Virginia Di Paolo, Angela Galardi, Giuseppe Maria Milano, Angela Mastronuzzi, Franco Locatelli and Angela Di Giannatale*
Affiliation:
- Bambino Gesu Children's Hospital, IRCCS-Department of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology and Stem Cell Transplantation Rome,Italy
Keywords:
Neuroblastoma, sarcomas, brain tumors, nano-delivery, exosomes, pediatric.
Abstract: Recent advances in the treatment of pediatric tumors led to an improvement of survival in this
population. As a result, many pediatric survivors experience long-term effects that impact their quality of life.
Therefore, it is extremely important to identify new treatment approaches that may target the tumor minimizing
the drug-related side effects. Over the past 10 years, remarkable advances in nanomedicine have provided several
potential tools for cancer treatment. Recently, there has been a growing interest towards therapeutic nanocarriers
in the pediatric field, since they represent a new strategy to enhance the drug efficacy and reduce the toxicity.
Various nanoformulations have been developed to improve the targeting and the release of antitumor compound
to cancer cells in pediatric tumors and clinical trials have been conducted or are ongoing. Exosomes are
nanometer-sized vesicles that play a crucial role in mediating intercellular communication. Thanks to to their
intrinsic cell targeting properties, stability in the circulation, and bio-compatibility, they are emerging as new
promising vehicles both for drugs and biological therapeutics. Moreover, these nanovesicles are a reservoir of
potential diagnostic and prognostic markers. In this review, we describe recent advances in the treatment of
pediatric tumors through nanodelivery system with particular attention to neuroblastoma, soft-tissues/bone
sarcomas and pediatric brain tumors. Furthermore, we explore the potential role of exosomes as an effective
option of nanodelivery providing insights into their characteristics in pediatric tumors and their use in adult
clinical trials.