Licensing and partnership opportunities
Researchers at Edinburgh University have generated a series of cationic lipid transfection reagents they say are inherently biodegradable, less toxic, and have transfection efficiencies that exceed comparable commercial agents.
Initial studies indicate that these agents can be used at comparable concentrations to commercial products such as Lipofectamine, and at lower concentrations than Effectene.
Transfection reagents are pivotal to studies elucidating the function of genes. In addition to safe and effective gene delivery in vivo for therapeutic purposes, improved transfection efficiency and reduced toxicity in stem and primary cell lines underpins the continued development of next generation transfection reagents.
The new transfection agents can deliver both DNA and siRNA into immortalised cell lines and in mouse embryonic stem cells, whilst exhibiting considerably reduced toxicity.
The researchers claim increased transfection efficiency of both DNA and siRNA in mouse embryonic stem cell and immortalised cell lines.
Being biodegradable they are less toxic than existing agents and there is no requirement to remove them following transfection.
The combination of low reagent concentrations, due to increased transfection efficiency, and ease and price of synthesis, due to the use of cost effective starting materials, is likely to produce significant cost savings.
Edinburgh University is seeking commercial partners for collaborative development and/or licensing of these novel transfection agents and samples can be made available for evaluation under license from the university.
Receive the Funding Newswire each Tuesday, our Policy Bulletin each Thursday, and news about bridging Europe’s east-west innovation gap twice a month in The Widening. 
A unique international forum for public research organisations and companies to connect their external engagement with strategic interests around their R&D system.
