147. Chemical Enhancers of Non-Viral Salivary Gland Gene Transfer

Gene transfer to the major salivary glands is an attractive method for the systemic delivery of therapeutic proteins. To date, non-viral gene transfer to these glands has resulted in inadequate systemic protein concentrations. We believe that identification of the barriers responsible for this inefficient transfection will enable enhanced non-viral gene transfer in salivary glands and other tissues. Our efforts to identify and transcend these barriers have resulted in the discovery of a group of compounds that enhance non-viral, salivary gland gene transfer by four orders of magnitude relative to unformulated DNA. These data as well as data directed towards understanding the mechanism-of-action responsible for the observed enhancement in non-viral gene transfer will be presented.