Polymer nanoparticles for drug and small silencing RNA delivery to treat cancers of different phenotypes

Advances in nanotechnology have provided powerful and efficient tools in the development of cancer diagnosis and therapy. There are numerous nanocarriers that are currently approved for clinical use in cancer therapy. In recent years, biodegradable polymer nanoparticles have attracted a considerable attention for their ability to function as a possible carrier for target-specific delivery of various drugs, genes, proteins, peptides, vaccines, and other biomolecules in humans without much toxicity. This review will specifically focus on the recent advances in polymer-based nanocarriers for various drugs and small silencing RNA's loading and delivery to treat different types of cancer. WIREs Nanomed Nanobiotechnol 2014, 6:40-60. doi: 10.1002/wnan.1242 Conflict of interest: The authors declare no conflicts of interest. For further resources related to this article, please visit the WIREs website.