| In recent years, in light of the promising potentials of mesenchymal stromal/stem cells
(MSCs) for carrying therapeutic anticancer genes, a complete revisitation on old chemotherapy-
based paradigms has been established. This review attempted to bring forward
and introduce the novel therapeutic opportunities of using genetically engineered MSCs.
The simplicities and advantages of MSCs for medical applications make them a unique
and promising option in the case of cancer therapy. Some of the superiorities of using
MSCs as therapeutic gene micro-carriers are the easy cell-extraction procedures and
their abundant proliferation capacity in vitro without losing their main biological properties.
Targeted therapy by using MSCs as the delivery vehicles of therapeutic genes
is a new approach in the treatment of various types of cancers. Some of the distinct
properties of MSCs, such as tumor-tropism, non-immunogenicity, stimulatory effect on
the anti-inflammatory molecules, inhibitory effect on inflammatory responses, non-toxicity
against the normal tissues, and easy processes for the clinical use, have formed
the basis of attention to MSCs. They can be easily used for the treatment of damaged
or injured tissues, regenerative medicine, and immune disorders. This review focused
on the drugability of MSCs and their potential for the delivery of candidate anticancer
genes. It also briefly reviewed the vectors and methods used for MSC-mediated gene
therapy of malignancies. Also, the challenges, limitations, and considerations in using
MSCs for gene therapy of cancer and the new methods developed for resolution of
these problems are reviewed. |