PURPOSE To determine whether the brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) gene can be transfected into retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) by electroporation and whether axotomized RGCs can be rescued after transfection by BDNF in adult rats. METHODS Mouse BDNF cDNA was injected intravitreally followed by in vivo electroporation in adult rats. The expression of BDNF in RGCs was confirmed by Western...

Transdermal drug delivery offers several advantages, including avoidance of erratic absorption, absence of gastric irritation, painlessness, noninvasiveness, as well as improvement in patient compliance. With this mode of drug administration, there is no pre-systemic metabolism and it is possible to increase drug bioavailability and half-life. However, only a few molecules can be delivered acro...

The development of gene transfection technologies has greatly advanced our understanding of life sciences. While use of viral vectors has clear efficacy, it requires specific expertise and biological containment conditions. Electroporation has become an effective and commonly used method for introducing DNA into neurons and in intact brain tissue. The present study describes the use of the Neon...

Gene therapy may represent a promising alternative strategy for cardiac muscle regeneration. In vivo electroporation, a physical method of gene transfer, has recently evolved as an efficient method for gene transfer. Here, we describe two protocols involving in vivo electroporation for gene transfer to the beating heart.

Oral tongue cancer is characterized by a high degree of local invasion and a high rate of metastasis to the cervical lymph nodes. Treatment options for this cancer are limited. However, gene therapy has attracted keen interest as a new strategy for refractory cancer. The aim of this study was to examine the efficiency of transfection of the exogenous p27Kip1 gene by electroporation and the anti...

The chicken embryo provides an excellent model system for studying gene function and regulation during embryonic development. In ovo electroporation is a powerful method to over-express exogenous genes or down-regulate endogenous genes in vivo in chicken embryos(1). Different structures such as DNA plasmids encoding genes(2-4), small interfering RNA (siRNA) plasmids(5), small synthetic RNA olig...

Electroporation is an increase of the cell membrane permeability due to the formation of aqueous pores in it when the cell is under the influence of an intense electric field [1][2]. The formation of such pores in the membrane can be used to enhance the uptake of chemotherapeutic drugs into the cell in a cancer treatment known as electrochemotherapy [3]. In some cases the direct experimental me...

Electroporation is the phenomenon that occurs when a cell is exposed to a high electric field, which causes transient cell membrane permeabilization. A paramount electroporation-based application is electrochemotherapy, which is performed by delivering high-voltage electric pulses that enable the chemotherapeutic drug to more effectively destroy the tumor cells. Electrochemotherapy can be used ...

In vivo electroporation is an appealing method to deliver nucleic acid into living tissues, but the clinical application of such a method was limited due to severe tissue damage and poor coverage of the tissue surface. Here we present the validation of a novel flexible microneedle array electrode (MNAE) chip, in which the microneedle array and the flexible substrate are integrated together to s...

Advancements in microfabrication technology have lead to the development of planar micro-pore electroporation technology. This technology has been shown to provide greater control in single cell manipulation, and electroporation which is independent from cell size. In this work we report direct and spatially resolved characterization of electric currents within a planar micropore electroporatio...