James G. Hecker

Appropriate gene delivery systems are essential for successful gene therapy in clinical medicine. Lipid-mediated nucleic acid delivery is an alternative to viral vector-mediated gene delivery and has the following advantages. Lipid-mediated delivery of DNA or mRNA is usually more rapid than viral-mediated delivery, offers a larger payload, and has a nearly zero risk of incorporation. Lipid-mediated delivery of DNA or RNA is therefore preferable to viral DNA delivery in those clinical applications that do not require long-term expression for chronic conditions. Delivery of RNA may be preferable to non-viral DNA delivery in some clinical applications, since transit across the nuclear membrane is not necessary, and onset of expression with RNA is therefore even faster than with DNA, although both are faster than most viral vectors. Delivery of RNA to target organ(s) has previously been challenging due to RNA’s rapid degradation in biological systems, but cationic lipids complexed with RNA, as well as lipid nanoparticles (LNPs), have allowed for delivery and expression of the complexed RNA both in vitro and in vivo. This review will focus on the non-viral lipid-mediated delivery of RNAs, including mRNA, siRNA, shRNA, and microRNA, to the central nervous system (CNS), an organ with at least two unique challenges. The CNS contains a large number of slowly dividing or non-dividing cell types and is protected by the blood brain barrier (BBB). In non-dividing cells, RNA-lipid complexes demonstrated increased transfection efficiency relative to DNA transfection. The efficiency, timing of the onset, and duration of expression after transfection may determine which nucleic acid is best for which proposed therapy. Expression can be seen as soon as 1 h after RNA delivery, but duration of expression has been limited to 5–7 h. In contrast, transfection with a DNA lipoplex demonstrates protein expression within 5 h and lasts as long as several weeks after transfection.

Appropriate gene delivery systems are essential for successful gene therapy in clinical medicine. Cationic lipid-mediated delivery is an alternative to viral vector-mediated gene delivery. Lipid-mediated delivery of DNA or mRNA is usually more rapid than viral-mediated delivery, offers a larger payload, and has a nearly zero risk of incorporation. Lipid-mediated delivery of DNA or RNA is therefore preferable to viral DNA delivery in those clinical applications that do not require long-term expression for chronic conditions. Delivery of RNA may be preferable to non-viral DNA delivery in some clinical applications, because transit across the nuclear membrane is not necessary and onset of expression with RNA is therefore even faster than with DNA, although both are faster than most viral vectors. Here, we describe techniques for cationic lipid-mediated delivery of nucleic acids encoding reporter genes in a variety of cell lines. We describe optimized formulations and transfection procedures that we previously assessed by bioluminescence and flow cytometry. RNA transfection demonstrates increased efficiency relative to DNA transfection in non-dividing cells. Delivery of mRNA results in onset of expression within 1 h after transfection and a peak in expression 5–7 h after transfection. Duration of expression in eukaryotic cells after mRNA transcript delivery depends on multiple factors, including transcript stability, protein turnover, and cell type. Delivery of DNA results in onset of expression within 5 h after transfection, a peak in expression 24–48 h after transfection, and a return to baseline that can be as long as several weeks after transfection. In vitro results are consistent with our in vivo delivery results, techniques for which are described as well. RNA delivery is suitable for short-term transient gene expression due to its rapid onset, short duration of expression and greater efficiency, particularly in non-dividing cells, while the longer duration and the higher mean levels of expression per cell that are ultimately obtained following DNA delivery confirm a continuing role for DNA gene delivery in clinical applications that require longer term transient gene expression.

Appropriate gene delivery systems are essential for successful gene therapy in clinical medicine. Cationic lipid-mediated delivery is an alternative to viral vector-mediated gene delivery where transient gene expression is desirable. However, cationic lipid-mediated delivery of DNA to post-mitotic cells is often of low efficiency, due to the difficulty of DNA translocation to the nucleus. Rapid lipid-mediated delivery of RNA is preferable to nonviral DNA delivery in some clinical applications, because transit across the nuclear membrane is not necessary. Here we describe techniques for cationic lipid-mediated delivery of RNA encoding reporter genes in a variety of in vitro cell lines and in vivo. We describe optimized formulations and transfection procedures that we have previously assessed by flow cytometry. RNA transfection demonstrates increased efficiency relative to DNA transfection in nondividing cells. Delivery of mRNA results in onset of expression within 1 h after transfection and a peak in expression 5–7 h after transfection. These results are consistent with our in vivo delivery results, techniques for which are shown as well. Longer duration and the higher mean levels of expression per cell that are ultimately obtained following DNA delivery confirm a continuing role for DNA gene delivery in clinical applications that require long term transient gene expression. RNA delivery is suitable for short-term transient gene expression due to its rapid onset, short duration of expression, and greater efficiency, particularly in nondividing cells.

Intrathecal delivery of gene therapeutics is a route of administration that overcomes several of the limitations that plague current immunosuppressive treatments for autoimmune diseases of the central nervous system (CNS). Here we report intrathecal delivery of small amounts (3 μg) of plasmid DNA that codes for an immunomodulatory fusion protein, OX40-TRAIL, composed of OX40, a tumor necrosis factor receptor, and tumor necrosis factor related apoptosis inducing ligand (TRAIL). This DNA was delivered in a formulated nucleic acid–lipid complex (lipoplexes) with an asymmetric two-chain cationic lipid myristoyl (14:0) and lauroyl (12:1) rosenthal inhibitor-substituted compound (MLRI) formed from the tetraalkylammonium glycerol-based compound N-(1-(2,3-dioleoyloxy)-propyl-N-1-(2-hydroxy)ethyl)-N,N-dimethyl ammonium iodide. Delivery and expression in the CNS of OX40-TRAIL in the mouse prior to onset of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), an animal model for multiple sclerosis, decreased the severity of clinical disease. We believe this preclinical demonstration of rapid, widespread, and biologically therapeutic nonviral gene delivery to the CNS is important in further development of clinical lipid-based therapeutics for CNS disorders.