DNA therapy for cancer requires efficient, selective and safe DNA delivery systems. Compared with other non-viral methods such as lipid or polymer-based DNA delivery vectors, peptide-based DNA delivery systems are biocompatible and biodegradable, which leads to lower immunogenicity and lower toxicity. Moreover, peptide vectors are easier to produce and their compositions easier to control becau...

Electroporation is one of the most widely used methods to deliver exogenous DNA payloads into cells, but a major limitation is that only a small fraction of the total membrane surface is permeabilized. Here we show how this barrier can be easily overcome by harnessing hydrodynamic effects associated with Dean flows that occur along curved paths. Under these conditions, cells are subjected to a ...

Gene delivery holds promise to cure many inheritable or acquired diseases that are currently considered incurable. Liposomes are clinically well-established drug-delivery vehicles with promising properties, including biocompatibility, high drug-to-carrier ratios, and straightforward drug-encapsulation capability. However, widespread clinical use of this delivery system still requires better del...

Chapter 1 describes the barriers that have hindered the effective use of gene delivery and a literature review of methods designed to overcome those barriers. Areas of gene delivery that will be discussed include viral, physical, and non-viral methods of gene delivery. A special focus will be on methods to target gene delivery vehicles and more specifically the somatostatin receptor 2 (SSTR2) t...