Combining bio-electrospraying with gene therapy: a novel biotechnique for the delivery of genetic material via living cells

Analyst. 2010 May;135(5):1042-9. doi: 10.1039/b923307e. Epub 2010 Jan 27.

Abstract

The investigations reported in this article demonstrate the ability of bio-electrosprays and cell electrospinning to deliver a genetic construct in association with living cells. Previous studies on both bio-electrosprays and cell electrospinning demonstrated great promise for tissue engineering and regenerative biology/medicine. The investigations described herein widen the applicability of these biotechniques by combining gene therapy protocols, resulting in a novel drug delivery methodology previously unexplored. In these studies a human cell line was transduced with recombinant self-inactivating lentiviral particles. These particles incorporated a green fluorescent protein fused to an endosomal targeting construct. This construct encodes a peptide, which can subsequently be detected on the surface of cells by specific T-cells. The transduced cell line was subsequently manipulated in association with either bio-electrospraying or cell electrospinning. Hence this demonstrates (i) the ability to safely handle genetically modified living cells and (ii) the ability to directly form pre-determined architectures bearing living therapeutic cells. This merged technology demonstrates a unique approach for directly forming living therapeutic architectures for controlled and targeted release of experimental cells/genes, as well as medical cell/gene therapeutics for a plethora of biological and medical applications. Hence, such developments could be applied to personalised medicine.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • 3T3 Cells
  • Animals
  • Cell Line
  • Electrodes
  • Flow Cytometry
  • Gene Transfer Techniques / instrumentation*
  • Genetic Therapy / methods*
  • Genetic Vectors
  • Green Fluorescent Proteins / genetics
  • Green Fluorescent Proteins / metabolism
  • Humans
  • Mice
  • Microscopy, Fluorescence

Substances

  • Green Fluorescent Proteins