Inovio Pharmaceuticals has released results of its new generation DNA vaccine delivery technology, which enables electroporation without contacting the skin.
In the study, Inovio researchers investigated whether the electrical field strength generated by piezoelectricity alone could elicit gene transfer in the skin of an animal.
Researchers injected a plasmid encoding GFP (a type of protein that generates fluorescence) into guinea pig skin and delivered electrical pulses using the contactless electroporation device.
Inovio president and CEO Joseph Kim said Inovio continues to raise the bar in terms of technological innovation that will further optimize electroporation-based delivery of DNA-based therapeutics and vaccines for patients of all ages.
"While still enabling levels of vaccine potency that we have observed with our existing electroporation devices, this new contactless delivery method is non-invasive and amenable to the design of devices that are low-cost, portable, and extremely easy to use," Kim said.
Inovio’s electroporation delivery devices use controlled, brief electrical pulses to create permeability in cell membranes, which can dramatically increase cellular uptake of a DNA vaccine and resulting gene expression (production of the antigen coded by the DNA vaccine).
The data achieved in animal and human studies has indicated that electroporation based delivery enables potent immune responses, which are considered vital to tackling challenging infectious diseases and cancers.