Charge-Shifting Polycations as Gene Transfection Agents

Synthetic polymers will be explored as a vehicle to deliver DNA to cells for potential gene therapy applications. Charge-shifting polycations with varying rates of degradation will be studied to test the effectiveness of DNA release, as well as eventual uptake and conversion of the DNA to produce a targeted protein (i.e. transfection). The varying rates of degradation of the charge-shifting polycations that have been developed for this project will be a useful handle in determining optimal release kinetics, as well as provide fundamental information on the mechanism of transfection. Toxicity of the charge-shifting polycations will be tested with cell viability assays. It is hypothesized that charge-shifting polycations will exhibit greater transfection efficiencies relative to standard synthetic polycations, as well as have reduced toxicities due to their inherent degradation into benign by-products. The results of this work are anticipated to provide the growing field of gene therapy with fundamental insight towards the design of polymers for DNA delivery.

Faculty Supervisor:

Harald Stover

Student:

Partner:

Fraunhofer Institute for Cell Therapy and Immunology IZI

Discipline:

Life Sciences

Sector:

Nanotechnology; Life Sciences (not health); Other

University:

McMaster University

Program: