Bubbles Oust Viruses in Therapy

May 29, 2003 | Source: Wired

Researchers have developed a wqy to use ultrasonic waves to deliver DNA and other molecules, such as drugs, into cells.

The goal is to reduce geneticists’ reliance on viruses to deliver genes into cells, a method that has led to cancers in some patients.

A solution of DNA and microscopic bubbles would be injected into a patient’s bloodstream. Ultrasonic waves would then cause the bubbles to compress. The pressure also forces tiny bits of water and DNA to leak into those bubbles. The compressed bubbles then act like tiny syringes that shoot jets of DNA or drugs through the patient’s cell membranes.