New advances in drug delivery and pharmaceutical biotechnology, a focus on RNA interference

Pharmaceutical Biotechnology is an increasingly important area of pharmaceutics, and contributes to design and delivery of new therapeutic drugs, the development of diagnostic agents for medical tests, and the beginnings of gene therapy for correcting the medical symptoms of hereditary diseases. The societal implications of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology are similarly widespread, ranging from many ethical issues of identifying and treating various hereditary diseases, to changes in healthcare practices and a significant contribution to national economic development. It allows the development and production of biopharmaceuticals that could lead to cures for most major diseases. With a particular focus on the RNA interference (RNAi) as a futuristic tool with therapeutic applications, the new advances in this field is reviewed. Employment of RNAi as a potential therapeutic tool for a wide range of disorders, including cancer, infectious diseases and metabolic disorders is discussed besides the major obstacles such as off-target effects, toxicity and unsafe delivery methods. The new advances of our research team in applying RNAi –based medications and new delivery tools in gene therapy of Multiple Sclerosis is also addressed.