Challenges to perform an efficiently gene therapy adopting non-viral vectors: Melanoma landscape

The gene therapy is an alternative approach to melanoma treatments due to several drug resistance that this type of cancer developed and to perform an efficiently in vivo gene therapy the use of vectors is generally required. The non-viral vectors can guarantee the biological effect of DNA or RNA, increasing their stability and uptake, also, presenting lesser adverse effects and immunogenicity than viral-based ones, however, to perform an in vivo gene therapy there are plenty of challenges to be faced. This review, considering the fact that there is no ideal non-viral vector for melanoma gene therapy, but rather, there are several possibilities that bring us relevant and illustrative contributions on the magnitude of this subject, points out the main challenges to perform gene therapy from non-viral vectors for the melanoma skin cancer, focusing on the most studied strategies to overcome them. In this way it was considered as challenges: the administration route and the vector choice; aspects in the non-viral vectors' preparation process; effectiveness and safety, and pre-clinical and clinical aspects.

Automated summary

Gene therapy is an alternative treatment for melanoma, requiring the use of vectors for in vivo therapy. Non-viral vectors can ensure biological effects of DNA or RNA, but face challenges such as administration, vector choice, preparation processes, effectiveness, safety, and pre-clinical/clinical aspects.