Abstract
Glioblastoma (GBMs) are the most common and aggressive primary brain tumors. Current treatments include surgery, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy. Unfortunately, prognosis remains extremely poor and the median survival of 12-14 months in GBM has not changed significantly. GBMs contain a small subpopulation of glioma stem cells (GSCs) that are implicated in therapeutic resistance and tumor recurrence. Thus, the development of new therapeutic strategies to target these cells is of utmost significance. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have been reported to play a major role in cancer development and progression and are now emerge as potential therapeutic targets in various tumors. This chapter reviews the expression of miRNAs in GBM and GSCs and their use as diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers and discusses the role of specific miRNAs in GSC functions and their potential use as therapeutic targets. Since the clinical use of miRNAs is hindered by lack of effective delivery mechanisms to tumor sites, a particular focus is placed on the possible modes of delivery of miRNA mimics or antagonists focusing on viral vectors, nanoparticles, exosomes and stem cells.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | MicroRNA Targeted Cancer Therapy |
| Publisher | Springer International Publishing |
| Pages | 29-49 |
| Number of pages | 21 |
| ISBN (Electronic) | 9783319051345 |
| ISBN (Print) | 3319051334, 9783319051338 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - 1 Feb 2014 |
Bibliographical note
Publisher Copyright:© Springer International Publishing Switzerland 2014. All rights reserved.
