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Gene expression is the process by which genetic information stored into a nucleic acid sequence is converted into a polypeptide chain, the building blocks of proteins. This process is routinely exploited in the lab to study the function of a protein of interest and or its role in a signaling pathway. For this, scientist engineer plasmid DNA or mRNA coding for a gene of interest that is transfected into mammalian cells to force transient production of the protein of interest.

RNA interference (RNAi), the process of gene regulation in mammalian cells, is routinely used by scientists to investigate the role of endogenous genes by transiently silencing their expression (siRNA) or by regulating expression of one or several genes (miRNA). Expression of ectopically expressed proteins can also be modulated by co-transfecting a plasmid DNA coding for an ectopic protein along with the oligonucleotide targeted against the gene of interest.

CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing is a technology that allows scientist to modify the genome of cell at a specific locus. CRISPR/Cas9 is a two-component system composed of a guide RNA molecule that drives the Cas9 endonuclease to cut at a specific sequence within the genome. There are three methods to transfect guide RNA and express Cas9 protein in mammalian cells:  DNA-, RNA- or ribonucleoprotein-based delivery. Each system has their own pros and cons in terms of easiness of use, genome editing efficiency and off-target effects.

Protein delivery is a great alternative to gene expression for the study of protein function. Instead of transfecting DNA or mRNA encoding for a protein of interest, the protein itself is directly transfected into mammalian cells. Protein delivery offers a panel of possibilities in live cells, including protein interference with blocking antibodies, live immunolabelling, intracellular trafficking and protein-protein interaction studies.

High-Throughput Screening (HTS) is widely used in pharmaceutical industry and basic & translational research to study biological processes. HTS bioassays are almost exclusively conducted in the microtiter plate formats (96, 384 or 1536 wells), which makes the use of a highly reproducible transfection reagent indispensable.

Production of recombinant viral particles is dependent on transfection of 2-4 plasmid DNA into host adherent or suspension mammalian cells such as HEK-293 cells and derivatives. The produced recombinant viral particles are then used as vehicles to carry the corrective gene into cells ex vivo (cell therapy) or directly in vivo (gene therapy). Production of therapeutic viral vectors is dependent on a transfection method that can achieve reliable viral vector production, high infectious titer yields, and direct scalability from process development up to large-scale clinical-grade manufacturing.

Recombinant protein production for therapy and diagnostic applications is mainly achieved in CHO and HEK-293 cell lines adapted for growth in suspension. CHO and HEK-293 cells grown in suspension are ideal to maximize protein production yields, while improving overall production process by culturing them in chemically defined serum-free media (costs, downstream purification steps, reproducibility…). Several CHO and HEK-293 cell lines have been engineered to further improve yield of production, notably by enabling them to grow at higher density in defined cell culture media. With these modified properties, TGE in suspension CHO and HEK-293 cells lines relies on a transfection reagent that is efficient at different cell densities and in different synthetic media.

in vivo delivery of nucleic acids into animal models is essential for basic research as well as for medical applications such as gene therapy. Depending on the nucleic acid delivered, gene expression or gene silencing can be mediated in various tissues. Different routes of administration can be used and largely determine the targeted organ in which the nucleic acid will be expressed.

in vivo mRNA delivery reagent is specifically developed to deliver mRNA in various animal models. Depending on the chosen route of administration, mRNA can be efficiently delivered to different organs in various animal models. Non-viral mRNA transfection is a promising method specifically for vaccination and in anti-cancer therapy.