IVT mRNA Transfection Services

To facilitate the delivery of mRNA to target cells/tissues, Creative Biogene offers several mRNA transfection strategies for our customers' specific projects, including electroporation delivery of mRNA, ultrasound-assisted delivery of mRNA, magnetofection delivery of mRNA, and gene gun delivery of mRNA, to increase cell survival, enhance transfection efficiency, and minimize the immune stimulation of transfected cells as much as possible. Based on our advanced equipment and experienced scientists, we are confident in supporting our global customers with suitable strategies and the best service experience.

Advantages of mRNA transfection

Transfection of mRNA is a promising alternative to pDNA or viral vector to complete target protein expression, especially in non-proliferative cells such as stem cells, macrophages, epithelial cells, and other hard-to-transfect cell types. The transient nature of mRNA transfection is suitable for various applications, including cell fate reprogramming, gene editing, and gene vaccination. Since the delivered mRNA is directly expressed in the cytoplasm and thus does not require nuclear localization to mediate protein translation. mRNA transfection exerts a fast, localized and intense expression of the protein of interest, having a potential for gain-of-function approaches. When compared with DNA transfection, the method typically offers the following advantages

Fast start of transgene expression, as it doesn't need to be transcribed first.
Efficient transfection efficiency, particularly for hard-to-transfect cell types, such as primary human cells.
Protein expression by mRNA is easily adjustable.
Ability to express genes in non-dividing cells.
Absence of potentially mutagenic genomic insertions.
The high cell survival rate after transfection procedures, as there is no need to disturb the nuclear envelope.

Different paths to protein expression upon cells transfection with mRNA or pDNA. (Moradian, H., et al., 2020)

Advanced techniques for mRNA delivery

mRNA therapeutics, as a safer alternative for gene and recombinant protein therapies, have been used for treating many serious diseases. To date, many utilitarian techniques have been developed to deliver mRNA into the cell cytoplasm for in vitro and ex vivo applications, including biological, chemical, physical and mechanical methods. Biological methods, including virus-mediated methods, are high efficiency. However, the methods have a potential risk of viral infection and limitation in the size of genetic materials. Chemical methods have no size limitation, less cytotoxicity, and lower transfection efficiency over biological methods. The methods usually take advantage of cationic polymers, cationic lipid and cationic amino acid. For mechanical methods, such as microinjection and gene gun, are the most direct method for the introduction of nucleic acids into cells. Recently, the physical methods that take advantage of physical force to introduce the exogenous nucleic acids into the cell have received more attention. These methods include electroporation, sonoporation, magnetofection and so on. As the merit of nontoxicity, these methods are widely applied in different areas, including biology research, tissue engineering and so on. Moreover, methods like magnetofection and sonoporation, are characteristics of noninvasive and non-contact. With the development of technology, we believe that these advanced physical methods will become the mainstream technique for nucleic acid transfer, including mRNA transfer.

Service offering

Creative Biogene is a leading service provider in mRNA-based drug research and development (R&D). In addition to the development of mRNA delivery systems, we also offer a series of advanced techniques for IVT mRNA delivery. The services can be divided into two categories, including mechanical methods and physical methods.

The mechanical methods

The physical methods

If you are interested in our services, please contact us for more information.

References

Moradian, H., et al. (2020). "mRNA transfection-induced activation of primary human monocytes and macrophages: dependence on carrier system and nucleotide modification." Scientific reports, 10(1), 1-15.
Jinturkar, K. A., et al. (2011). "Gene delivery using physical methods." Challenges in delivery of therapeutic genomics and proteomics. Elsevier, 83-126.
Du, X., et al. (2018). "Advanced physical techniques for gene delivery based on membrane perforation." Drug delivery, 25(1), 1516-1525.

For research use only. Not intended for any clinical use.