Engineering mesenchymal stem cells: a novel therapeutic approach in breast cancer.

Breast cancer is one of the most prevalent and deadliest cancers among women in the world because of its aggressive behaviour and inadequate response to conventional therapies. Cellular and gene therapies based on mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) represent promising treatment strategies for multiple diseases, such as cancers. MSCs are multipotent adult stem cells with important features for cell therapy, such as tissue homing to injured sites, their differentiation potential, their capacity of secreting plenty of trophic factors, and low immunogenicity. The quite easy isolation of these cells from various types of tissues are associated with no ethical concern when dealing with foetal or embryonic stem cells. The MSCs exhibit both pro and anti-oncogenic properties. However, genetic engineering of MSCs and nanoparticles is being employed as a means to solve some of these problems and improve the antitumor properties of these cells. The tumour-homing ability of MSCs and their exosomes to tumour niches have made them as a promising vector for targeted delivery of therapeutic agents to tumours site. The present study investigated MSCs specifications, pro- and anti-oncogenic properties of MSCs in breast cancer, and reviewed targeted breast cancer therapy via engineered MSCs, likely as potent cellular vehicles.