Noncoding RNA for cancer gene therapy

Abstract

Gene therapy is a prospective strategy to modulate gene expression level in specific cells to treat human inherited diseases, cancers, and acquired disorders. A subset of noncoding RNAs, microRNAs (miRNAs) and small interference RNAs (siRNAs), compose an important class of widely used effectors for gene therapy, especially in cancer treatment. Functioning through the RNA interfer- ence (RNAi) mechanism, miRNA and siRNA show potent ability in silencing oncogenic factors for cancer gene therapy. For a better understanding of this field, we reviewed the mechanism and biological function, the principles of design and synthesis, and the delivery strategies of noncoding RNAs with clinical potentials in cancer gene therapy.