RNA has several theoretical advantages as a therapeutic agent, but exploiting RNA in this fashion has faced several major hurdles. Not only is it unstable and difficult to deliver across hydrophobic cell membranes, but extraneous RNA also activates innate immune nucleic acid sensors, which makes it toxic and inflammatory.
Keywords: DNA/RNA delivery; RNA interference; enabling technologies in tissue engineering; mesenchymal stem cells; messenger RNA; microRNA; small interfering RNA.