Abstract
Many different experimental molecular therapeutic approaches have been evaluated in an attempt to treat brain cancer. However, despite the success of these experimental molecular therapies, research has shown that the specific and efficient delivery of therapeutic agents to tumor cells is a limitation. In this regard, cell carrier systems have garnered significant attraction due to their capacity to be loaded with therapeutic agents and carry them specifically to tumor sites. Furthermore, cell carriers can be genetically modified to express therapeutic agents that can directly eradicate cancerous cells or can modulate tumor microenvironments. This review describes the current state of cell carriers, their use as vehicles for the delivery of therapeutic agents to brain tumors, and future directions that will help overcome the present obstacles to cell carrier mediated therapy for brain cancer.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 651-660 |
| Number of pages | 10 |
| Journal | Expert Review of Neurotherapeutics |
| Volume | 14 |
| Issue number | 6 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Jun 2014 |
Funding
This work is supported by NIH grants R01CA122930, R01CA138587, R01NS077388 and U01NS069997.
Keywords
- brain cancer
- cell carriers
- gene therapy
- glioblastoma multiforme
- glioma
- induced progenitor cells
- mesenchymal stem cells
- neural stem cells
- oncolytic virotherapy
- tumor-tropism
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Clinical Neurology
- Pharmacology (medical)
- General Neuroscience
