INTRO SENTENCE:
UCLA researchers in the department of Chemistry and Biochemistry have developed a novel technique of intracellular cargo delivery using nanovolcanos with high efficiency and cell viability.
BACKGROUND:
Intracellular cargo delivery facilitates cellular reprogramming and development of next generation gene and cellular therapies. Existing technologies in intracellular delivery include viral-based techniques and non-viral based techniques. While viral-based techniques are far ahead in clinical trials, they suffer from safety concerns and high costs. Non-viral based techniques include physical and chemical approaches that suffer from low specificity, low cell viability and low scale. Therefore, novel methods of intracellular cargo delivery are in high demand to meet the unmet need in cellular reprograming and therapy development.
INNOVATION:
A novel technique of cellular cargo delivery using nanovolcanos was developed to overcome the aforementioned issues in non-viral based delivery techniques. The innovative architecture of nanovolcanos can be fabricated using a variety of materials and nanofabrication techniques. The nanovolcanos can carry large payloads of biomolecular cargos and facilitates high throughput, efficient, rapid and scalable intracellular delivery upon external activation using light, heat or ultrasound while maintaining optimal cell viability. The architecture of nanovolcanos has additional applications in nanofountain pens, nanopipettes, or tissue engineering.
POTENTIAL APPLICATIONS:
• Cellular reprograming
• Intracellular delivery
• Nanofountain pens/nanopipettes
• Tissue engineering
ADVANTAGES:
• High throughput
• High cell viability
• Rapid
• Easily scalable
• Efficient
• Compatible with good manufacturing practice
• Can be made using different materials and different techniques
• Widely applicable