Electroporation electroporative gene delivery

Some investigators have used electrical current (electroporation) to improve DNA (or drug) entry into tumor cells with some preliminary success. Liposomes are attractive vehicles for gene delivery, since they can carry plasmid, antisense, or viral DNA. Compared with viral approaches, however, liposomes remain relatively inefficient at facilitating gene transfer, although their safety profile remains more desirable. Some of the attributes and limitations of the nonviral methods are listed in Table 58.1. 

Van Tendeloo, V.F., Ponsaerts, P, Lardon, F., et al. (2001). Highly efficient gene delivery by mRNA electroporation in human hematopoietic cells superiority to lipofection and passive pulsing of mRNA and to electroporation of plasmid cDNA for tumor antigen loading of dendritic cells. Blood, 98, 49-56. 

Lin, Y.C., Li, M., Wu, C.C., Simulation and experimental demonstration of the electric field assisted electroporation microchip for in vitro gene delivery enhancement. Labchip 2004, 4, 104-108. 

Gehl, J. (2008) Electroporation for drug and gene delivery in the clinic doctors go electric. Methods in Molecular Biology, 423, 351-359. 

Gehl, J., Skovsgaard, T., and Mir, L.M. (2002) Vascular reactions to in vivo electroporation characterization and consequences for drug and gene delivery. Biochimica et Biophysica Acta, 1569,... 

Inovio Biomedical Corporation (San Diego, CA) have developed a prototype electroporation transdermal device, which has been tested with various compounds with a view to achieving gene delivery, improving drug delivery and aiding the application of cosmetics. Other transdermal devices based on electroporation have been proposed by various groups [38 1] however, more clinical information on the safety and efficacy of the technique is required to assess the future commercial prospects. 

Various other methods, such as DNA electrotransfer, electroporation-based gene transfer, calcium phosphate nanoparticles, peptide nucleic acids, and cell penetrating peptides, round off the currently used methods in the field of nonviral gene delivery techniques. 

Various methods of non-viral gene delivery have been developed over the past few decades. Therapeutic genes can be targeted to the brain either by the direct delivery of naked DNA, using a hydrodynamic technique, ultrasound, electroporation, a gene gun, liposomes or by cationic polymers. The relative numbers of non-viral vectors used in gene transfection to the CNS are summarized in Figure 17.1. 

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