Gene therapy with non‑viral vectors
Cell and Gene Therapy Insights 2026; 12(5), 663–680
10.18609/cgti.2026.080
Gene therapy has traversed a long journey, starting as a theoretical concept, progressing to a controversial therapeutic option, and further on to becoming a promising cure for multiple diseases. One of the major bottlenecks in this journey has been the availability of suitable delivery vectors. Since viruses possess the natural ability of cellular invasion, they have been the first choice for such endeavors. However, modified viral vectors can exhibit problems of immunogenicity, low packaging efficiency, and high cost of production. This has opened the floodgates for the development of new non-viral carriers. Despite sustained academic efforts in this area, non-viral carriers are only sparingly used in clinical applications. This article discusses the bottlenecks in developing non-viral carriers, new developments that try to overcome these bottlenecks, and future directions that will help realize the potential of gene therapy with non-viral carriers.
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