From conventional chemotherapy to targeted therapy: use of monoclonal antibodies (moAbs) in gastrointestinal (GI) tumors

DNA hydrogel-based gene editing and drug delivery systems

Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) is a promising synthesizer for precisely constructing almost arbitrary geometry in two and three dimensions. Among various DNA-based soft materials, DNA hydrogels are comprised of hydrophilic polymeric networks of crosslinked DNA chains. For their properties of biocompatibility, porosity, sequence programmability and tunable multifunctionality, DNA hydrogels have been widely studied in bioanalysis and biomedicine. In this review, recent developments in DNA hydrogels and their applications in drug delivery systems are highlighted. First, physical and chemical crosslinking methods for constructing DNA hydrogels are introduced. Subsequently, responses of DNA hydrogels to nonbiological and biological stimuli are described. Finally, DNA hydrogel-based delivery platforms for different types of drugs are detailed. With the emergence of gene therapy, this review also gives future prospects for combining DNA hydrogels with the gene editing toolbox.

Genome-wide analysis of gynecologic cancer: The Cancer Genome Atlas in ovarian and endometrial cancer

Cancer typically develops due to genetic abnormalities, but a single gene abnormality cannot completely account for the onset of cancer. The Cancer Genome Atlas (CGA) project was conducted for the cross-sectional genome-wide analysis of numerous genetic abnormalities in various types of cancer. This approach has facilitated the identification of novel AT-rich interaction domain 1A gene mutations in ovarian clear cell carcinoma, frequent tumor protein 53 (TP53) gene mutations in high-grade ovarian serous carcinoma, and Kirsten rat sarcoma and B-rapidly accelerated fibrosarcoma proto-oncogene, serine/threonine kinase gene mutations in low-grade ovarian serous carcinoma. Genome-wide analysis of endometrial cancers has led to the establishment of four subgroups: Polymerase ultramutated, microsatellite instability hypermutated, genome copy-number low and genome copy-number high. These results may facilitate the improvement of the prediction of patient prognosis and therapeutic sensitivity in various types of gynecologic cancer. The enhanced use of currently available therapeutic agents and the development of novel drugs may be facilitated by the novel classification of ovarian cancer based on TP53 mutations, the efficacy of poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase inhibitors for tumors with breast cancer 1/2 mutations and the effect of phosphoinositide-3-kinase (PI3K)/mammalian target of rapamycin inhibitors for tumors with mutations in the PI3K/protein kinase B signaling pathway. Important results have been revealed by genome-wide analyses; however, the pathogenic underlying mechanisms of gynecologic cancer will require further studies and multilateral evaluation using epigenetic, transcriptomic and proteomic analyses, in addition to genomic analysis.