Liquid crystalline nanodispersions for topical delivery of siRNA

Recent advances in exploring physiological processes at the molecular level and in the complete characterization of the human genome have brought great hope for the transformation of nucleic acids into new therapeutic agents. The potential use of RNA fragments (small interfering RNA, siRNA) in gene therapy has attracted great attention as a new approach for the treatment of chronic and severe diseases. siRNAs specifically induce post-transcriptional silencing of gene expression, in a process called RNA interference (RNAi). However, obstacles in in vivo administration and delivery compromise the potential for clinical use of siRNAs, making the development of delivery systems a key factor in transforming siRNAs into new therapeutic agents. At the same time, the topical release of siRNAs appears as a promising alternative for the treatment of skin pathologies. In this context, the objective of this project is to develop a delivery system based on Nanotechnology for the release of interfering RNAs (siRNAs) in the skin, aiming to enable gene therapy as a new approach for the treatment of cutaneous pathologies of genetic cause. In the last two decades, liquid-crystalline systems have attracted great attention due to their applications in several areas. The nanodispersion of liquid crystal particles, especially those of non lamellar phase as cubic and hexagonal phase, has shown interesting characteristics for a topical delivery system.