Delivery of siRNA using porous silicon nanoparticles

RNA interference (RNAi) has been hailed as a technique capable of silencing genes that drive key biological processes that contribute to diseases such as cancer. However, siRNA molecules have many inherent disadvantages and the use of nanoparticles have been used to circumvent these issues. This thesis aims to further the understanding of porous silicon nanoparticles as a non-viral siRNA delivery vehicle. Furthermore, the work explores the use of patient-derived tissue as a new model for evaluating nanoparticle formulations.