Biomimetic Cell Membrane-Coated Nanocarriers for CRISPR-Cas9 Delivery: Recent Advances, Challenges and Future Perspectives
Abstract
The CRISPR-Cas9 system revolutionized genome editing and is a very promising platform for the treatment of cancers, genetic disorders, and infections. Yet the clinical translation of CRISPR-Cas9 is hampered by some major bottlenecks related to delivery issues, such as fast degradation, poor cellular uptake, and immunogenicity. While synthetic nanovehicles like liposomes and metal-organic frameworks enhance the transport of cargos, they may cause systemic toxicity, rapid elimination, and lack specificity in targeting. Cell membrane-coated nanoparticles (CMNPs), which appear to be a biomimetic tool to address this issue, can take advantage of the properties of mammalian membranes, providing these carriers with immune camouflaging, extended circulation time, and targeted delivery. The current review gives an overview of CRISPR-Cas9 delivery challenges, CMNPs fabrication methods, biological benefits, and applications in cancer treatment, inflammation, and targeted gene therapy. At last, we discuss the important aspects that include mass production of CMNPs, membrane orientation, and biosafety.
