Globally, cancer is amongst the most deadly diseases due to the low efficiency of the conventional and obsolete chemotherapeutic methodologies and their many downsides. The poor aqueous solubility of most anticancer medications and their low biocompatibility make them ineligible candidates for the design of delivery systems. A significant drawback associated with chemotherapy is that there are no advanced solutions to multidrug resistance, which poses a major obstacle in cancer management. Since RNA interference (RNAi) can repress the expression of genes, it is viewed as a novel tool for advanced drug delivery. this is being explored as a promising drug targeting strategy for the treatment of multiple diseases, including cancer. However, there are many obstructions that hinder the clinical uses of siRNA drugs due to their low permeation into cells, off-target impacts, and possible unwanted immune responses under physiological circumstances. Thus, in this article, we review the design measures for siRNA conveyance frameworks and potential siRNA and miRNA drug delivery systems for malignant growth treatment, including the use of liposomes, dendrimers, and micelle-based nanovectors and functional polymer–drug delivery systems. This article sums up the advancements and challenges in the use of nanocarriers for siRNA delivery and remarkably centers around the most critical modification strategies for nanocarriers to build multifunctional siRNA and miRNA delivery vectors. In short, we hope this review will throw light on the dark areas of RNA interference, which will further open novel research arenas in the development of RNAi drugs for cancer.

Purpose: The study explores the perspectives of college students on the pedagogical shift as well as frequent transitions between online and offline learning modes during the COVID-19 pandemic in Kerala, the most literate state in India.Design/methodology/approach: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among 1,366 college students in Kerala during December 2021. A pre-tested questionnaire was sent using Google Forms to students of arts and science colleges. The authors analyzed quantitative data using descriptive statistics and qualitative data using thematic content analysis.Findings: The reported advantages of online learning were increased technical skill, flexibility in study time, effectiveness in bridging the gap of the missed academic period and provision of attending more educational webinars. Students expressed concerns of increased workload, difficulty in concentration due to family circumstances, academic incompetency, uncleared doubts and addiction to mobile phones and social media during the online classes. The main advantages reported for switching to an offline learning mode were enhanced social interaction, effective learning, better concentration and reduced stress. The reported challenges of offline classes were fear of getting the disease, concern of maintaining social distancing and difficulty in wearing masks during the classes. The shift in offline to online learning and vice versa was perceived as a difficult process for the students as it took a considerable time for them to adjust to the switching process of learning.Originality/value: Students' concerns regarding transition between different learning modes provide important information to educators to better understand and support the needs of students during the pandemic situations.

Life science is the study of living organisms, including bacteria, plants, and animals. Given the importance of biology, chemistry, and bioinformatics, we anticipate that this chapter may contribute to a better understanding of the interdisciplinary connections in life science. Research in applied biological sciences has changed the paradigm of basic and applied research. Biology is the study of life and living organisms, whereas science is a dynamic subject that as a result of constant research, new fields are constantly emerging. Some fields come and go, whereas others develop into new, well-recognized entities. Chemistry is the study of composition of matter and its properties, how the substances merge or separate and also how substances interact with energy. Advances in biology and chemistry provide another means to understand the biological system using many interdisciplinary approaches. Bioinformatics is a multidisciplinary or rather transdisciplinary field that encourages the use of computer tools and methodologies for qualitative and quantitative analysis. There are many instances where two fields, biology and chemistry have intersection. In this chapter, we explain how current knowledge in biology, chemistry, and bioinformatics, as well as its various interdisciplinary domains are merged into life sciences and its applications in biological research.

Breast and gynecologic cancers are significant global threats to women’s health and those living with the disease require lifelong physical, financial, and social support from their families, healthcare providers, and society as a whole. Cancer vaccines offer a promising means of inducing long-lasting immune response against the disease. Among various types of cancer vaccines available, peptide vaccines offer an effective strategy to elicit specific anti-tumor immune responses. Peptide vaccines have been developed based on tumor associated antigens (TAAs) and tumor specific neoantigens which can also be of viral origin. Molecular alterations in HER2 and non-HER2 genes are established to be involved in the pathogenesis of female-specific cancers and hence were exploited for the development of peptide vaccines against these diseases, most of which are in the latter stages of clinical trials. However, prophylactic vaccines for viral induced cancers, especially those against Human Papillomavirus (HPV) infection are well established. This review discusses therapeutic and prophylactic approaches for various types of female-specific cancers such as breast cancer and gynecologic cancers with special emphasis on peptide vaccines. We also present a pipeline for the design and evaluation of a multiepitope peptide vaccine that can be active against female-specific cancers.