Polymeric Nanocarriers: Revolutionizing Targeted Gene Delivery for Therapeutic Precision Medicine

Introduction: Through gene therapy, genetic, cancerous, and degenerative diseases can be treated. However, the efficiency and safety limitation of viral and lipid-based vectors hin-der their clinical translation. Polymeric nanocarriers are a promising class of gene delivery agents that can be tailored to a large extent if required. Methods: This narrative review compiles articles published between the years 2020 and 2025, which were taken from databases PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science on polymeric nanocarri-ers for gene delivery. The studies were grouped by polymer type, carrier architecture, and thera-peutic application. Results: Polymeric architectures, such as nanogels, micelles, nanoparticles, nanowires, and lipid-polymer hybrids, show advanced gene loading, stability, and release. The use of such modalities allows for application across multiple disease types, such as cancer immunotherapy, viral gene silencing, neuroprotection, and anti-fibrotic therapies. By using ligands, stimuli-responsive polymers, and co-delivery methods while minimizing cytotoxicity, transfection efficiency, and specificity were vastly improved. Discussion: According to recent studies, clinical translation may be aided by biodegradable, stimuli-responsive polymeric systems that offer improved transfection efficiency and biocompat-ibility. Despite advances, limitations in cytotoxicity, scalability, and regulatory hurdles prevent clinical translation. The challenges of designing biodegradable polymers for scaffolding solutions can be supplemented with Artificial Intelligence and advanced materials engineering. Conclusion: Polymeric nanocarriers offer versatility and functionality in the design of drug-delivery applications that can be tailored for precision medicine. In other words, innovation across disciplines is necessary to translate these systems from bench to bedside.