Issue 22, 2024

Advanced micro/nano-electroporation for gene therapy: recent advances and future outlook

Abstract

Gene therapy is a promising disease treatment approach by editing target genes, and thus plays a fundamental role in precision medicine. To ensure gene therapy efficacy, the effective delivery of therapeutic genes into specific cells is a key challenge. Electroporation utilizes short electric pulses to physically break the cell membrane barrier, allowing gene transfer into the cells. It dodges the off-target risks associated with viral vectors, and also stands out from other physical-based gene delivery methods with its high-throughput and cargo-accelerating features. In recent years, with the help of advanced micro/nanotechnology, micro/nanostructure-integrated electroporation (micro/nano-electroporation) techniques and devices have significantly improved cell viability, transfection efficiency and dose controllability of the electroporation strategy, enhancing its application practicality especially in vivo. This technical advancement makes micro/nano-electroporation an effective and versatile tool for gene therapy. In this review, we first introduce the evolution of electroporation technique with a brief explanation of the perforation mechanism, and then provide an overview of the recent advancements and prospects of micro/nano-electroporation technology in the field of gene therapy. To comprehensively showcase the latest developments of micro/nano-electroporation technology in gene therapy, we focus on discussing micro/nano-electroporation devices and current applications at both in vitro and in vivo levels. Additionally, we outline the ongoing clinical studies of gene electrotransfer (GET), revealing the tremendous potential of electroporation-based gene delivery in disease treatment and healthcare. Lastly, the challenges and future directions in this field are discussed.

Graphical abstract: Advanced micro/nano-electroporation for gene therapy: recent advances and future outlook

Article information

Article type
Review Article
Submitted
31 Mar 2024
Accepted
13 May 2024
First published
14 May 2024

Nanoscale, 2024,16, 10500-10521

Advanced micro/nano-electroporation for gene therapy: recent advances and future outlook

F. Liu, R. Su, X. Jiang, S. Wang, W. Mu and L. Chang, Nanoscale, 2024, 16, 10500 DOI: 10.1039/D4NR01408A

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