A substance found in common consumer products like shampoo and paper may also have future applications in gene therapy, according to findings by researchers at Rice University and The University of Texas-Houston Health Science Center. Gene therapy is a means of introducing genetic material into a cell that would not normally express that gene, or a way of altering the normal behavior of a cell. As a result, a carrier, or transfection agent, is needed to deliver the DNA into the cell.
Viral agents can inject DNA into cells, but with the viruses comes a risk of an immune response.
PEI is a nonviral polymer that carries many positive charges. Its charges are an important characteristic because when PEI interacts with DNA's negative charge, the two bond. And that sparks a whole lot of additional questions that need to be addressed. The findings were published in the April 27 issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Once inside the cell, rather than being broken down and used by the cell's machinery, the complexes move into the nucleus, where the desired gene is turned on.