Tissue Engineering

Gene Therapy

Non-viral approaches

• Electroporation
• Application of high electrical voltage to mixture of DNA and cells
• Problems with cell viability
• Micro-injection
• Direct placement of DNA into nucleus of target cell
• Labour intensive
• Calcium phosphate
• Plasmid DNA + CaCl₂ + phosphate buffer
• Precipitate forms
• Precipitate enters cells through endocytosis
• Efficiency low: about 10%
• Liposomes
• Artificial lipid spheres with aqueous core
• Passes DNA through target cell membrane