Harnessing alginate-based nanocomposites as nucleic acid/gene delivery platforms to address diverse biomedical issues: A progressive review

•Alginate's structure-bioactivity concert and molecular modulations.•Formulation and biophysicochemical features of alginate-based nanocomposites for nucleic acid/ gene delivery.•Use in cancer therapy, macrophage targeting and repolarization, intestine-inflammation targeting.•Application for bone regeneration, autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease therapy and wound healing therapy.•Challenges and future research-direction in the use of alginate based nanobiomaterials for gene therapy. Among various polysaccharides, alginate-based nanostructures have etched an indelible mark on the canvas of biomolecules’ delivery. Although several review articles on the use of alginates for the delivery of drugs and other bio-active agents can be retrieved from various literature repositories, however, the progress in the realm of alginate-based nanomaterials and its nanocomposites for nucleic acid/gene delivery has not been specifically reviewed of late. In this context, the write up in this article is geared off with highlights on alginate's structure-bioactivity concert, molecular modulations, and brief description about the different approaches to fabricate its various nanostructures. The subsequent section is then specifically streamlined towards comprehending the formulation, the biophysicochemical features and applications of alginate-based nanomaterials and nanocomposites for nucleic acid/ gene delivery applications to address various biomedical issues, as attested by a couple of topical investigations. Representative studies on gene delivery using alginate-based nanobiomaterials in research pertaining to cancer therapy, macrophage targeting and repolarization, intestine-inflammation targeting, bone regeneration, autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease therapy and wound healing therapy, amongst others are presented. Various practical snags and prospective future direction of research in the use of alginate based nanobiomaterials for gene therapy are highlighted in the concluding section. [Display omitted]