The biolistic approach of DNA/drug delivery was applied to deliver liquid DNA into living cells. The liquid DNA to be delivered was deposited as a drop on a thin aluminum foil and the posterior surface of the foil was ablated using an Nd:YAG laser. The ablation launched a shock wave through the foil. A part of this shock wave was transmitted to the drop, and a part was reflected back into the foil as an expansion wave. The wave motions caused the drug droplet to accelerate and acquire a sufficiently high velocity in the forward direction. A part of the propelled DNA droplet, on impacting the surface of a soft, living target, entered the target cells, accomplishing the drug delivery. The technique was tested on E-coli bacteria by delivering a plasmid DNA pUC119 into the bacterial cells. A few bacterial colonies could be transformed by this method of DNA delivery.
Shock waves for ballistic delivery of DNA droplets into living cells
Published Online: November 11, 2009
Abstract