Therapeutic Targeting in Ovarian Cancer: Nano-Enhanced CRISPR/Cas9 Gene Editing and Drug Combination Therapy

Hong-Kook Kim,1,2 Heedon Cheong,3 Moo-Yeon Kim,3 Hyo-Eon Jin2,3 1AI-Super Convergence KIURI Translational Research Center, Ajou University, Suwon, 16499, Republic of Korea; 2Research Institute of Pharmaceutical Science and Technology, Ajou University, Suwon, 16499, Republic of Korea; 3Department of Pharmacy, Ajou University, Suwon, 16499, Republic of KoreaCorrespondence: Hyo-Eon Jin, Professor, Department of Pharmacy, Ajou University, Suwon, 16499, Republic of Korea, Tel +82-031-219-3466, Fax +82-0504-152-4017, Email [email protected]: Ovarian cancer is the third most common gynecological cancer worldwide. Due to the high recurrence rate of advanced-stage ovarian cancer, often resulting from drug-resistant and refractory disease, various treatment strategies are under investigation. Genome editing of therapeutic target genes holds promise in enhancing cancer treatment efficacy by elucidating gene functions and mechanisms involved in cancer progression. The CRISPR/Cas9 system, in particular, shows great potential in ovarian cancer gene therapy and drug development. Targeting therapeutic genes such as BRCA1/2, P53, Snai1 etc, could improve the therapeutic strategy in ovarian cancer. CRISPR/Cas9 is a powerful gene-editing tool that there are many on-going clinical trials to treat various diseases including cancer. Nano-based delivery systems for CRISPR/Cas9 offer further therapeutic benefits, leveraging the unique properties of nanoparticles to improve delivery efficiency. Nano-based delivery systems could enhance the stability of CRISPR/Cas9 delivery formats (such as plasmid, mRNA, etc) and improve the delivery precision of delivery to target tumors. Additionally, combining CRISPR/Cas9 with targeted drug treatments, especially those aimed at genes associated with drug resistance, may significantly improve therapeutic outcomes in ovarian cancer. In this review, we discuss therapeutic target genes and their mechanisms in ovarian cancer, advances in nano-based CRISPR/Cas9 delivery, and the therapeutic potential of combining CRISPR/Cas9 with drug treatments for ovarian cancer.Keywords: ovarian cancer, CRISRP/Cas9, therapeutic genes, nano-based delivery, anti-cancer drugs