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Development of an Economical DNA Delivery System by "Acufection" and its Application to Skin Research
Published on: April 19, 2017
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Novel suction-based in vivo cutaneous DNA transfection platform
Emran O Lallow1, Nandita C Jhumur1, Ijaz Ahmed2
1Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA.
Science Advances
|November 5, 2021
Summary
This study introduces a novel suction-based method for DNA delivery in vivo. This technique, inspired by cupping therapies, effectively transfects cells and elicits immune responses, offering a scalable platform for nucleic acid therapeutics.
Area of Science:
- Biotechnology
- Molecular Biology
- Immunology
Background:
- In vivo DNA transfection is crucial for gene therapy and vaccine development.
- Current methods like electroporation can cause tissue damage.
- A need exists for simpler, safer, and more scalable transfection techniques.
Purpose of the Study:
- To report a novel suction-based cutaneous DNA delivery method for in vivo transfection.
- To evaluate the efficacy and safety of this method in a rat model.
- To demonstrate its utility for vaccine development.
Main Methods:
- Intradermal injection of plasmid DNA (pEGFP-N1 and SARS-CoV-2 DNA vaccine) in rats.
- Application of moderate negative pressure (suction) at the injection site.
- Assessment of gene expression (GFP fluorescence) and humoral immune response (antibody production).
Main Results:
- Strong GFP expression observed as early as 1 hour post-injection.
- Suction-based delivery showed a correlation between strain/stress and expression patterns.
- No visible or histological tissue injury was observed, unlike electroporation.
- The SARS-CoV-2 DNA vaccine induced a notable host humoral immune response with antibody production.
Conclusions:
- Suction-based cutaneous DNA delivery is an effective, non-invasive method for in vivo transfection.
- This technique offers a cost-effective, scalable platform for laboratory and clinical applications.
- It holds promise for developing novel nucleic acid–based therapeutics and vaccines, including for SARS-CoV-2.
