Nanoparticle delivery systems for siRNA-based therapeutics

RNA interference (RNAi) is a naturally occurring endogenous regulatory process in which the short double-stranded RNA causes sequence-specific post-transcriptional gene silencing. Small interfering RNA (siRNA) represents great therapeutic potential for diseases (e.g., cancer) caused by abnormal gene overexpression or mutation. The major challenge in using RNAi for disease therapy is the targeted and effective delivery of siRNA in vivo. The development of nanotechnology with the important progress in nanoparticle-mediated delivery systems promises efficient intracellular siRNA delivery. This review summarizes the recent advances in nanoparticle delivery systems for siRNA-based therapeutics.