NONVIRAL EX-VIVO HEPATIC GENE-TRANSFER BY IN-SITU LIPOFECTION OF LIVER AND INTRAPERITONEAL TRANSPLANTATION OF HEPATOCYTES

Perfusion of liver with plasmid DNA-lipofectin complexes via the porta l vein results in efficient accumulation of the vector in hepatocytes. Such hepatocytes, when administered intraperitoneally into a hepatect omized rat, repopulate the liver and express the transgene efficiently . This procedure obviates the need for large-scale hepatocyte culture for ex vivo gene transfer. Further, intraperitoneal transplantation is a simple and cost-effective strategy of introducing genetically modif ied hepatocytes into liver. Thus, in situ lipofection of liver and int raperitoneal transfer of hepatocytes can be developed into a novel met hod of non-viral ex vivo gene transfer technique that has applications in the treatment of metabolic disorders of liver and hepatic gene the rapy.