Cationic Lipid/Polynucleotide Condensates for in Vitro and in Vivo Polynucleotide Delivery - the Cytofectins

Abstract Cationic liposomes have been used extensively during the last 5 years to facilitate delivery of DNA, MRNA, antisense molecules and proteins into living cells. Since their initial description in 1987 several reagents have become commercially available. Other cationic lipid reagents not yet commercially available, have been described showing advantages relative to the commercial products. Their widespread utility has been further established from in vivo studies showing delivery to catheterized blood vessels, lung epithelial cells, brain tissue and xenopus embryos. Finally, the compounds have been introduced into man in a gene therapy clinical trial recently initiated by Nabel etal. Because there is now a rapidly growing list of compounds that act by a similar mechanism we are referring to this class of polynucleotide delivery reagents as the "Cytofectins".