Innovative Therapeutic and Delivery Approaches Using Nanotechnology to Correct Splicing Defects Underlying Disease

Abstract

Alternative splicing of pre-mRNA contributes strongly to the diversity of cell- and tissue-specific protein expression patterns. Global transcriptome analyses have suggested that >90% of human multiexon genes are alternatively spliced. Alterations in the splicing process cause missplicing events that lead to genetic diseases and pathologies, including various neurological disorders, cancers, and muscular dystrophies. In recent decades, research has helped to elucidate the mechanisms regulating alternative splicing and, in some cases, to reveal how dysregulation of these mechanisms leads to disease. The resulting knowledge has enabled the design of novel therapeutic strategies for correction of splicing-derived pathologies. In this review, we focus primarily on therapeutic approaches targeting splicing, and we highlight nanotechnology-based gene delivery applications that address the challenges and barriers facing nucleic acid-based therapeutics.Fil: Suñé Pou, Marc. Universidad de Barcelona; EspañaFil: Limeres, María José. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Investigaciones en Microbiología y Parasitología Médica. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Medicina. Instituto de Investigaciones en Microbiología y Parasitología Médica; ArgentinaFil: Moreno Castro, Cristina. Institute of Parasitology and Biomedicine “López-Neyra"; EspañaFil: Hernández Munain, Cristina. Institute of Parasitology and Biomedicine “López-Neyra"; EspañaFil: Suñé Negre, Josep M.. Universidad de Barcelona; EspañaFil: Cuestas, María Luján. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Investigaciones en Microbiología y Parasitología Médica. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Medicina. Instituto de Investigaciones en Microbiología y Parasitología Médica; ArgentinaFil: Suñé, Carlos. Institute of Parasitology and Biomedicine “López-Neyra"; Españ