Library of Gene Delivery Systems: Delivery of Genetic Material via Polyplexes Embedded in Thermosensitive Hydrogel

Saniya Salathia – postdoctoral researcher, CHIP, UNICAM; Cristina Casadidio – professor, CHIP, UNICAM; Roberta Censi – Professor, CHIP, UNICAM

Introduction:

Gene therapy holds great promise for treating cancer, chronic, and rare diseases by introducing, silencing, or modifying genetic material to alter disease progression. However, naked genetic material struggles to cross membranes and degrades easily, making optimized delivery essential. While viral vectors offer high efficiency but pose biosafety risks, on the other hand, non-viral vectors, such as polyplexes, cationic polymers complexed with genetic material via electrocondensation, are increasingly studied for safer and effective delivery.