Magnetic nanoparticles for nucleic acid delivery: magnetofection, gene therapy and vaccines

TUTTOLOMONDO, M. V.; MUNICOY, S.; ALVAREZ ECHAZÚ, M. I.; LÓPEZ, L. M.; ALVAREZ, G. S.

Magnetic Nanoparticles for Biomedical Applications

Materials Research Forum LLC

Año: 2023; p. 278 - 313

Gene therapy offers an alternative for the treatment of diseases such as cancer orneurodegenerative diseases by replacing, introducing or inactivating genes in the patient.In this aspect, the use of nanoparticles as nucleic acid delivery systems that prevents itsdegradation and facilitates its incorporation into target cells have been a subject of intensestudy in recent years. Among them, magnetic nanoparticles (MNP) offer advantages asnew alternatives for non-viral transfection, such as guiding the nanoparticle and its contentthrough magnetic fields towards target organs, increasing the efficiency and reducingtransfection times. The use of MN carrying genetic information to achieve transfection bythe application of magnetic fields is known as magnetofection. In most cases,superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs) are used as vehicles which alsocontain a cationic organic coating to increase their stability, gene incorporation andinteraction with cell membranes. Another field in which the application of these newtechnologies is gaining attention is in the development of DNA and RNA- based vaccinesfor immunization and immunotherapy. In the following chapter, the use of magnetofectionfor in vitro experiments as well as the study of in vivo vaccine assays or gene therapy usingMNP as nucleic acid carriers, will be discussed.