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  • Nonviral Transfer Technology
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Co-polymer of histidine and lysine markedly enhances transfection efficiency of liposomes

Gene Therapy volume 7, pages 1698–1705 (2000)Cite this article

Abstract

Development of nonviral delivery systems is progressing toward a transfection efficiency sufficient to affect metabolic and neoplastic diseases in humans. Nevertheless, inadequate transfection efficiency of target cells with current nonviral systems still limits the utility of this therapy. In the current study, we have determined that a co-polymer of histidine and lysine (H-K) enhances the transfection efficiency of liposomes, a leading nonviral system. We found that in the absence of serum, the addition of this polymer increased transfection as much as 10-fold in comparison with the liposome:DNA complex alone. More impressively, the co-polymer in the presence of serum increased transfection efficiency up to 100-fold. Furthermore, in vivo expression of luciferase in a tumor increased 15-fold with the addition of H-K polymer to the liposome:plasmid DNA complexes. Without liposomes, the H-K polymer had little to no effect on transfection efficiency. We anticipate that further modifications of this co-polymer will yield molecules with both increased complexity and transfection efficiency.

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Acknowledgements

We are grateful to Drs Amy Fulton, Edward Highsmith, and Robert Malone for their careful reading and useful comments concerning the manuscript. This work was supported by the National Institutes of Health (CA70394) and the Karl C Dod Charitable Trust.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pathology and Greenebaum Cancer Center, University of Maryland Baltimore, Building MSTF, Room 759, Baltimore, 21201, MD, USA

    Q-R Chen, L Zhang, S A Stass & A J Mixson

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  1. Q-R Chen
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  2. L Zhang
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  3. S A Stass
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Chen, QR., Zhang, L., Stass, S. et al. Co-polymer of histidine and lysine markedly enhances transfection efficiency of liposomes. Gene Ther 7, 1698–1705 (2000). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.gt.3301294

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.gt.3301294

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