Combining bio-electrospraying with gene therapy: a novel biotechnique for the delivery of genetic material via living cells.
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.
Ward
Eliot
E
Molecular Immunology Unit, Institute of Child Health, University College London, 30 Guilford Street, London, UK WC1N 1EH.
Chan
Emma
E
Gustafsson
Kenth
K
Jayasinghe
Suwan N
SN
D016475:3T3 Cells; D000818:Animals; D002460:Cell Line; D004566:Electrodes; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D018014:Gene Transfer Techniques / Q000295:instrumentation*; D015316:Genetic Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D005822:Genetic Vectors; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D051379:Mice; D008856:Microscopy, Fluorescence
D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins