Thermal Assisted In Vivo Gene Electrotransfer

Title:Thermal Assisted In Vivo Gene Electrotransfer

Volume: 16 Issue: 2

Author(s): Amy Donate, Anna Bulysheva, Chelsea Edelblute, Derrick Jung, Mohammad A. Malik, Siqi Guo, Niculina Burcus, Karl Schoenbach and Richard Heller

Affiliation:

Keywords: Gene electrotransfer, Skin, Gene therapy, Heat, Electroporation.

Abstract: Gene electrotransfer is an effective approach for delivering plasmid DNA to a variety of tissues. Delivery of molecules with electric pulses requires control of the electrical parameters to achieve effective delivery. Since discomfort or tissue damage may occur with high applied voltage, the reduction of the applied voltage while achieving the desired expression may be an important improvement. One possible approach is to combine electrotransfer with exogenously applied heat. Previous work performed in vitro demonstrated that increasing temperature before pulsing can enhance gene expression and made it possible to reduce electric fields while maintaining expression levels. In the study reported here, this combination was evaluated in vivo using a novel electrode device designed with an inserted laser for application of heat. The results obtained in this study demonstrated that increased temperature during electrotransfer increased expression or maintained expression with a reduction in applied voltage. With further optimization this approach may provide the basis for both a novel method and a novel instrument that may greatly enhance translation of gene electrotransfer.

Cite this article as:

Donate Amy, Bulysheva Anna, Edelblute Chelsea, Jung Derrick, Malik A. Mohammad, Guo Siqi, Burcus Niculina, Schoenbach Karl and Heller Richard, Thermal Assisted In Vivo Gene Electrotransfer, Current Gene Therapy 2016; 16 (2) . https://dx.doi.org/10.2174/1566523216666160331125810