Keywords

acoustothermal transfection, transfection efficiency and viability, mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs)

Abstract

Transfected stem cells and T cells are promising in personalized cell therapy and immunotherapy against various diseases. However, existing transfection techniques face a fundamental trade-off between transfection efficiency and cell viability; achieving both simultaneously remains a substantial challenge. This study presents an acoustothermal transfection method that leverages acoustic and thermal effects on cells to enhance the permeability of both the cell membrane and nuclear envelope to achieve safe, efficient, and high-throughput transfection of primary T cells and stem cells. With this method, two types of plasmids were simultaneously delivered into the nuclei of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) with efficiencies of 89.6 ± 1.2%. CXCR4-transfected MSCs could efficiently target cerebral ischemia sites in vivo and reduce the infarct volume in mice. Our acoustothermal transfection method addresses a key bottleneck in balancing the transfection efficiency and cell viability, which can become a powerful tool in the future for cellular and gene therapies.

Original Publication Citation

Xiufang Liu et al. , Acoustothermal transfection for cell therapy. Sci. Adv. 10, eadk1855 (2024). DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adk1855

Document Type

Peer-Reviewed Article

Publication Date

2024-04-17

Publisher

American Association for the Advancement of Science

Language

English

College

Ira A. Fulton College of Engineering

Department

Chemical Engineering

University Standing at Time of Publication

Assistant Professor

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