title: Optimising ultrasound-mediated gene transfer (sonoporation) in vitro and prolonged expression of a transgene in vivo: potential applications for gene therapy of cancer.
abstract: Therapeutic approaches using gene-based medicines promise alternatives or adjuncts to conventional cancer treatment. Because of its non-invasive nature, ultrasound, as a membrane-permeabilising stimulus has the potential to be highly competitive with viral gene delivery and existing non-viral alternatives. In optimising ultrasound-mediated, microbubble-assisted (MB101) gene tranfection in vitro, we demonstrate efficiencies of up to 18% using ultrasound at 1 MHz at a duty cycle of 25% at intensities ranging from 1 to 4 W cm(-2). Using ultrasound-mediated transfection together with an episomal plasmid-based gene expression system, we demonstrate prolonged functional gene expression of luciferase in mouse hind leg muscle and in tumours in vivo.
authors.affiliation: School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Ulster, Cromore Road, Coleraine, Co. Derry, BT 52 1SA, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Ying Suet
authors.initials: YS
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Emma
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Davidson
authors.forename: Cherith N
authors.initials: CN
authors.lastname: Reid
authors.forename: Anthony P
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: McHale
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D018014:Gene Transfer Techniques; D015316:Genetic Therapy; D005822:Genetic Vectors; D006367:HeLa Cells; D006801:Humans; D051379:Mice; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000628:therapy*; D010957:Plasmids; D019076:Transgenes / Q000235:genetics