Combination of anticancer drugs with microRNA as cancer therapeutics

MicroRNA therapy to treat cancer has drawn attention of different scientific community due to its unique property for the treatment of malignancies. Understanding the role of microRNA is important as it plays a great role in the upregulation and downregulation of genes, which is one of the primary causes of cancer. Many recent studies have found that miRNA contributes to tumor cell drug resistance by affecting genes involved in cell proliferation. Cancer is a life-threatening disease and one of the leading causes of death around the world. In cancer cells, miRNA has the ability to modulate the oncogenes and oncogenic pathway. Designing of nanoparticle, on the other hand, provides a great opportunity to deliver microRNA to the targeted site for different therapeutic applications. There are various nanoparticles involved in the transfer of miRNA mimic and drug, in combination with a specific site to improve the therapeutic value. In this chapter, we have discussed the combination therapy involving drug and miRNA delivery, to effectively reach the intended site using various nanocarriers. Different challenges and applications of miRNA with drug loading nanoparticles are also discussed citing examples.