To date, topical gene transfer protocols have employed infectious viral vector physical abrasion, or chemical depilation of the skin. Fan et al. (p. 870) show that specific immune responses to the hepatitis B surface antigen can be induced simply by topical application of naked plasmid DNA in solution to untreated skin. This transfer was shown to depend on the presence of normal hair follicles.
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Frederickson, R. Topical gene delivery. Nat Biotechnol 17, 840 (1999). https://doi.org/10.1038/12814
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/12814