Advanced polymers for nonviral gene delivery

With the identification of numerous disease-causing genes, gene therapy has been considered one of the most promising treatments for various acquired and inherited diseases. However, the lack of safe and efficient gene delivery vectors has substantially hindered the translation of gene therapy to clinical applications. Recent progress in polymer chemistry and biotechnology has greatly accelerated the development of multifunctional polymers for gene delivery, and the structure-function relationships of polymer vectors have been further understood. In this chapter, we will first analyze the key obstacles involved in the gene delivery process that scientists have to overcome to design a viable polymer DNA delivery vector, and then we summarize and discuss the various advanced polymers developed recently for DNA delivery.