Gene therapy is an emerging technology that replaces a faulty gene or adds a new gene to cure disease or improve your body's ability to fight disease. These next-generation treatments hold promise for treating various genetic and chronic diseases, including but not limited to cancer, cystic fibrosis, heart disease, diabetes, hemophilia, and AIDS.

The Need

Only two gene therapies have been FDA approved for retinal dystrophy and spinal muscular atrophy. The lack of approved gene therapies for other conditions is primarily due to limited efficacy and severe safety concerns. The most common gene therapy vectors are viruses because they can recognize specific cells and carry genetic material into the cell’s genes. But they have limited gene transfer while inducing inflammation and toxicity. Hence, there is an unmet need to develop new methods of delivering gene therapy to treat many conditions for which there are no treatments.

The Technology

This technology describes a novel method of delivering genes and drugs via the skin using Tissue Nano-Transfection (TNT) that incorporates electrospun nanofibers and nanochannels into a conductive dressing. The materials include conductive polymers or tantalum nanoparticles electrospun into a fabric or wound dressing. A gene therapy (e.g., viral) or a drug is integrated within the material and administered through the patient's skin.

Commercial Applications

This invention can be used to deliver drugs and gene therapies for several different diseases. Also, it could be used on the battlefield for rapid drug delivery and healing as a wound dressing.

Benefits/Advantages

Compared to gene therapy delivery modalities, this invention may decrease toxicity while improving the transfection efficiency of therapeutic cargo. In addition to a wound dressing, it can be used as a powder that can be sprinkled on areas of the body for treatment with deep tissue penetration.

Patents

• Patents pending in U.S. and Europe.