Nanoparticle gene therapy

From WikiCover

Announced July 31, 2007, after binding DNA segments to tiny iron-containing spheres called nanoparticles, researchers have used magnetic fields to direct the nanoparticles into arterial muscle cells, where the DNA could have a therapeutic effect. Although the research, done in cell cultures, is in early stages, it may represent a new method for delivering gene therapy to benefit blood vessels damaged by arterial disease.

The nanoparticles are extremely small, ranging from 185 to 375 nanometers. The researchers were able to control the nanoparticle size by varying the amount or composition of solvents they used to form the nanoparticles.

Impregnated with iron oxide, the nanoparticles carry a surface coating of DNA bound to an organic compound called polyethylenimine (PEI). The PEI protected the DNA from being broken down by enzymes called endonucleases that were present in the cell cultures and which occur normally in the bloodstream.

This delivery system may be a useful tool for delivering nonviral gene therapy, because it efficiently binds and protects DNA in blood serum and delivers it to cells," said study leader Doctor Robert J. Levy at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.