Impalefection is a method of gene delivery using

nanomaterial * Nanomaterials describe, in principle, materials of which a single unit is sized (in at least one dimension) between 1 and 100 nm (the usual definition of nanoscale). Nanomaterials research takes a materials science-based approach to na ...

s, such as carbon nanofibers,

carbon nanotube A scanning tunneling microscopy image of a single-walled carbon nanotube Rotating single-walled zigzag carbon nanotube A carbon nanotube (CNT) is a tube made of carbon with diameters typically measured in nanometers. ''Single-wall carbon nan ...

s, nanowires. Needle-like

nanostructure A nanostructure is a structure of intermediate size between microscopic and molecular structures. Nanostructural detail is microstructure at nanoscale. In describing nanostructures, it is necessary to differentiate between the number of di ...

s are synthesized perpendicular to the surface of a

substrate Substrate may refer to: Physical layers *Substrate (biology), the natural environment in which an organism lives, or the surface or medium on which an organism grows or is attached ** Substrate (locomotion), the surface over which an organism lo ...

Plasmid A plasmid is a small, extrachromosomal DNA molecule within a cell that is physically separated from chromosomal DNA and can replicate independently. They are most commonly found as small circular, double-stranded DNA molecules in bacteria; howev ...

DNA containing the gene, and intended for

intracellular delivery Intracellular delivery is the process of introducing external materials into living cells. Materials that are delivered into cells include nucleic acids ( DNA and RNA), proteins, peptides, impermeable small molecules, synthetic nanomaterials, or ...

, is attached to the nanostructure surface. A chip with arrays of these needles is then pressed against cells or tissue. Cells that are impaled by nanostructures can express the delivered gene(s). As one of the types of

transfection Transfection is the process of deliberately introducing naked or purified nucleic acids into eukaryotic cells. It may also refer to other methods and cell types, although other terms are often preferred: " transformation" is typically used to de ...

, the term is derived from two words –

impalement Impalement, as a method of torture and execution, is the penetration of a human by an object such as a stake, pole, spear, or hook, often by the complete or partial perforation of the torso. It was particularly used in response to "crimes aga ...

and

infection An infection is the invasion of tissues by pathogens, their multiplication, and the reaction of host tissues to the infectious agent and the toxins they produce. An infectious disease, also known as a transmissible disease or communicable d ...

Applications

One of the features of impalefection is spatially resolved gene delivery that holds potential for such

tissue engineering Tissue engineering is a biomedical engineering discipline that uses a combination of cells, engineering, materials methods, and suitable biochemical and physicochemical factors to restore, maintain, improve, or replace different types of biologi ...

approaches in

wound healing Wound healing refers to a living organism's replacement of destroyed or damaged tissue by newly produced tissue. In undamaged skin, the epidermis (surface, epithelial layer) and dermis (deeper, connective layer) form a protective barrier aga ...

as gene activated matrix technology. Though impalefection is an efficient approach ''in vitro'', it has not yet been effectively used ''in vivo'' on live organisms and tissues.

Carrier materials

Vertically aligned carbon nanofiber arrays prepared by

photolithography In integrated circuit manufacturing, photolithography or optical lithography is a general term used for techniques that use light to produce minutely patterned thin films of suitable materials over a substrate, such as a silicon wafer (electroni ...

and plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition are one of the suitable types of material. Silicon nanowires are another choice of nanoneedles that have been utilized for impalefection.

References

External links

"Intracellular integration of synthetic nanostructures with viable cells for controlled biochemical manipulation"
Nanomaterials Laboratory techniques Biotechnology Gene delivery {{genetics-stub

Applications

Carrier materials

See also

References

External links