Correlating intracellular nonviral polyplex localization with transfection efficiency using high-content screening

Nanoparticle-Based Delivery of CRISPR/Cas9 Genome-Editing Therapeutics

The recent progress in harnessing the efficient and precise method of DNA editing provided by CRISPR/Cas9 is one of the most promising major advances in the field of gene therapy. However, the development of safe and optimally efficient delivery systems for CRISPR/Cas9 elements capable of achieving specific targeting of gene therapy to the location of interest without off-target effects is a primary challenge for clinical therapeutics. Nanoparticles (NPs) provide a promising means to meet such challenges. In this review, we present the most recent advances in developing innovative NP-based delivery systems that efficiently deliver CRISPR/Cas9 constructs and maximize their effectiveness.

A simple, rapid method for evaluation of transfection efficiency based on fluorescent dye

Enhanced transfection efficiency of transient gene expression (TGE) and electroporation is a useful approach for improvement of recombinant therapeutic proteins in mammalian cells. A novel method is described here in which CHO cells expressing recombinant FVII (rFVII) were labeled with fluorescent dye and analyzed by confocal microscopy. Cells with or without rFVII encoding gene were detectable by flow cytometry. Thus, we were able to distinguish positive cells (with rFVII encoding gene) and quantify their percentages. We evaluated the effects of varying electroporation conditions (voltage, number of repetitions, plasmid amount, carrier DNA) in order to optimize transfection efficiency. The highest transfection efficiency achieved was ∼86%. The method described here allows rapid evaluation of transfection efficiency without co-expression of reporter genes. In combination with appropriate antibodies, the method can be extended to evaluation of transfection efficiency in cells expressing other recombinant proteins.