Ultrasound technology to improve transfection of human cells

将核酸递送至人类细胞（所谓的转染）是在生物医学研究工业和临床治疗中广泛实践的。由于抵抗外来遗传物质摄入的活性机制，人类细胞对核酸的递送尤其具有抗性。相对于病毒递送手段，化学方法是将核酸递送至人细胞的优选方法，因为它们是安全的并且不会引起核酸整合到宿主细胞基因组中。在化学递送方法中，将核酸与缓冲液中的聚合物或聚合物试剂组合，并包装成纳米级的颗粒，使得核酸在暴露于细胞时容易内化。虽然这种纳米颗粒显示在细胞系中通常有效，但纳米颗粒向原代人细胞的递送效率非常低。为了提高递送效率，可以利用超声波，其打开细胞膜中的瞬时孔并允许分子通过进入细胞。该项目旨在探索这种方法，其中核酸首先凝聚成纳米颗粒用于细胞摄取，然后使用超声以促进纳米颗粒进入细胞。这种方法有望提高人类细胞的转染率，并使超声设备能够在生物医学研究行业中销售用于改善人类细胞转染的超声设备。****

Nucleic acid delivery to human cells (so called transfection) is a widely practiced in biomedical research industry and clinical therapy. Human cells are especially resistant to delivery of nucleic acids due to active mechanisms to resist the intake of foreign genetic material. Chemical methods have been the preferred approach to nucleic acid delivery to human cells over viral means of delivery, since they are safe and do not cause integration of nucleic acids into the host cell genome. In chemical delivery methods, nucleic acids are combined with lipidic or polymeric agents in buffers and packaged into particles at the nanoscale so that the nucleic acids are readily internalized upon exposure of the cells. While such nanoparticles were shown to be generally effective in cell lines, the delivery efficiency of the nanoparticles to primary human cells is very low. In order to enhance the delivery efficiency, one may be able to utilize ultrasound, which open up transient pores in the cell membrane and allow passage of molecules into the cells. This project is intended to explore this approach, in which the nucleic acids are first condensed into nanoparticles for cell uptake and then ultrasound is used in order to facilitate the cellular entry of the nanoparticles. Such an approach is expected to enhance the transfection rates in human cells and enable marketing of ultrasound devices for improved transfection of human cells in biomedical research industry. ****