Title:Gene Delivery with Organic Electronic Biomaterials
Volume: 23
Issue: 24
Author(s): Kathryn F.A. Clancy and John G. Hardy*
Affiliation:
- Department of Chemistry and Materials Science Institute, Faraday Building, Faculty of Science and Technology, Lancaster University, Lancaster, Lancashire, LA1 4YB,United Kingdom
Keywords:
Organic electronics, carbon nanotubes, fullerene, graphene, conjugated polymer, gene delivery, gene therapy, biodegradable.
Abstract: Gene therapy may be capable of treating a variety of diseases, a prerequisite of which is the successful
delivery of polynucleic acids (e.g., DNA, RNA) to a patient’s cells. Delivery can be achieved technologically (e.g.,
using electroporation), using viruses (natural gene delivery vectors) or non-viral vectors (e.g., lipids, nanoparticles,
polymers). This article aims to give the reader an overview of the use of organic electronic materials (i.e., fullerenes,
graphenes and conjugated polymers) as non-viral gene delivery vectors.