Abstract
Hemoglobinopathies, such as β-thalassemia and sickle cell disease (SCD), are among the most common congenital diseases in the world, with high mortality and morbidity rates. The most straightforward approach to correct the main culprit in hemoglobinopathies - the imbalance between the amounts of alpha-like globins/betalike globins- will need to target directly the gene structure or their regulatory elements in order to obtain a sustained therapeutic effect.
Finding effective methods to deliver the genetic “blueprints” of the correct and functional protein or, even better, the “DNA repairing kit” able to do the job in situ, remains a major challenge, despite the fact that gene therapy is already used in different diseases. Members of several viral families were employed as “Trojan horses” using the virus ability to deliver a modified genetic material inside the cell and to manipulate the host replication machinery to produce the encoded proteins. Recently, non-viral vectors are gaining advantages for genome correction, especially after the exponential development of the genome editing approaches that can provide precise in situ modifications. This review summarizes the recent advances in the viral and non-viral delivery strategies and emphasizes the therapeutic potential of different approaches designed to correct the genetic defects responsible for the most common hemoglobinopathies.Keywords: Genetic therapy, nucleic acids delivery strategies, hemoglobinopathies, DNA repairing, DNA editing, viral and non-viral vectors, nanoparticles.
Graphical Abstract
Call for Papers in Thematic Issues
Advances of Heterocyclic Chemistry with Pesticide Activity
Global food safety and security will continue to be a global concern for the next 50 years and beyond. Plant diseases have had a significant impact on food safety and security throughout the entire food chain, from primary production to consumption. While conventional chemical pesticides have been traditionally used for ...read more
Calculation design of covalent/metal organic framework based catalysts
This research area combines theoretical computation and screening with machine learning for the design of covalent/metal organic framework-based catalysts, bridging the disciplines of organic chemistry, physical chemistry, computational chemistry, materials science, and machine learning. It covers several critical aspects: designing and synthesizing organic catalysts for improved performance, applying computational methods ...read more
Carbohydrates conversion in biofuels and bioproducts
Biomass pretreatment, hydrolysis, and saccharification of carbohydrates, and sugars bioconversion in biofuels and bioproducts within a biorefinery framework. Carbohydrates derived from woody biomass, agricultural wastes, algae, sewage sludge, or any other lignocellulosic feedstock are included in this issue. Simulation, techno-economic analysis, and life cycle analysis of a biorefinery process are ...read more
Catalytic C-H bond activation as a tool for functionalization of heterocycles
The major topic is the functionalization of heterocycles through catalyzed C-H bond activation. The strategies based on C-H activation not only provide straightforward formation of C-C or C-X bonds but, more importantly, allow for the avoidance of pre-functionalization of one or two of the cross-coupling partners. The beneficial impact of ...read more
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