Chemical‑boosted delivery of DNA into cells with electric pulses
Chemically Assisted Electrotransfer of DNA
This project tries to make DNA get into cells more reliably by using chemicals together with brief electric pulses to help DNA vaccines and gene therapies work better for patients.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Duke University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Durham, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11160451 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
If I'm a patient, the researchers are working to improve a method that uses short electric pulses to push DNA into cells, which is used in some DNA vaccines and cell therapies. They will study how DNA moves inside cells, how it escapes from tiny vesicles, and how it gets into the nucleus of non‑dividing cells. The team will screen chemicals that might help DNA travel and test those chemicals in both lab-grown cells and living tissues. The goal is to identify safe additives that can be used alongside electroporation to make DNA delivery more consistent in the body.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: People who could be candidates for DNA‑based vaccines or gene therapies in future clinical trials would be the most relevant group.
Not a fit: Patients needing immediate treatment or those not eligible for DNA‑based approaches are unlikely to gain direct benefit from this preclinical work.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could make DNA vaccines and some gene therapies more effective and reliable for patients.
How similar studies have performed: Electroporation is an established way to deliver DNA and has supported experimental DNA vaccines, but using systematic chemical screening to boost electroporation in the body is a relatively new approach.
Where this research is happening
Durham, United States
- Duke University — Durham, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Yuan, Fan — Duke University
- Study coordinator: Yuan, Fan
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.