Event
BIOE Seminar: Breaking Barriers: Advancing siRNA Delivery using Peptide Carriers
Friday, August 30, 2024
9:00 a.m.-10:00 a.m.
A. James Clark Hall, Room #2121
Gurneet Sangha
gsangha@umd.edu
Angela Antoinette Alexander
Associate Professor
Clemson University
Breaking Barriers: Advancing siRNA Delivery using Peptide Carriers for Precision Cancer Therapies
Abstract
The discovery that exogenous siRNAs induce sequence-specific inhibition of gene expression has resulted in the investigation of the use of RNAi-based approaches to treat many diseases, including cancer. siRNA holds significant promise in precision medicine for cancer treatment due to its ability to target specific genes or genetic pathways. Though many oncogenes have been identified as targets for gene therapy to treat cancer through siRNA delivery, some challenges must be addressed to harness the full potential of RNAi technology. siRNAs face several significant barriers to delivery that limit the efficacy of siRNA therapeutics. The hydrophilicity, high molecular weight, and negative charge of siRNAs hinder their intracellular trafficking, while endosomal entrapment and subsequent lysosomal degradation further reduce their efficacy. As a result, the accumulation of siRNAs at their target site to a therapeutically effective level is a crucial hurdle for delivery. Extensive research has focused on non-viral delivery of synthetic siRNAs using nanoparticles due to their enhanced stability, versatility, and biocompatibility. Among these, peptide carriers have been explored to overcome nucleic acid transport barriers and have proven to be a promising approach for efficient delivery. Cell-penetrating, targeting, and fusogenic peptides offer distinct advantages for cellular internalization, cell-specific uptake, and endosomal escape, respectively. This talk will discuss the development and evaluation of novel peptides that have successfully delivered bioactive siRNAs into cancer cells, resulting in effective silencing of oncogenes. By addressing the key challenges of siRNA delivery, these approaches may provide more effective RNAi-based cancer therapies.
Speaker Bio
Angela Alexander-Bryant, an Associate Professor in Clemson University's Department of Bioengineering, holds bachelor's and master's degrees from Johns Hopkins University and a Ph.D. in Bioengineering from Clemson University. Her Nanobiotechnology Lab focuses on innovative therapeutic delivery methods, combining materials science, nanotechnology, gene therapy, and drug delivery to advance cancer treatments. She received a 2021 Early Career Award from the National Science Foundation and directs the NIH-funded Call Me Doctor ESTEEMED Scholars program, promoting early involvement in biomedical research for underrepresented students.
