Abstract:

The advancement and exploitation of science have always been leveraged to enhance quality of life and overcome societal challenges. In recent years, with the increasing prevalence of diseases such as cancer, researchers have intensified their efforts to combat them. The emergence of nanotechnology as a pervasive science has brought significant potential to various fields, including health and medicine. The use of nanocarriers for the intelligent and targeted delivery of drugs or genes to specific sites has been among the extensive research conducted to combat diseases. Among these, polymer-based nanostructures have attracted researchers' attention due to their biocompatibility with the human body and the possibility of synthesizing and modifying structures as desired, distinguishing them from other drug/gene delivery nanostructures. Since the introduction of the CRISPR/Cas9 system in 2016 as a gene-editing tool employed in the treatment of lung cancer, research directions have shifted towards gene delivery based on gene editing. This paper provides a brief introduction to the distinctions between drug and gene delivery, compares various types of nanocarriers, and reviews cationic non-viral nanocarriers with a focus on the CRISPR/Cas9 gene-editing system.