Non-viral methods for gene transfer towards osteosarcoma therapy

Abstract

Osteosarcoma, a class of cancer that originates from bone, afflicts mainly young people usually in their teenage years of life. Despite surgery and chemotherapy, the outlook for sufferers is not that positive, with a third of patients with metastatic disease not surviving past the 10-year mark. Like other neoplasms, other forms of therapeutics are being evaluated, and amongst these is gene therapy. This review discusses approaches for gene therapy of osteosarcoma using cationic liposomes and polyethylenimine in vivo. The field is still in its infancy as far as osteosarcoma is concerned and much more needs to be done to test its true potential as a feasible therapeutic modality.