siRNA transfection

In general, transfection reagents employ positively charged chemical species to encircle negatively charged nucleic acids and form complexes that have a net positive charge. These complexes are designed to trigger endocytosis. Once taken into the cell, the transfection reagent triggers release of the nucleic acid cargo from the endosome before reaching the destructive lysosome.

To reduce toxicity of reagents made entirely of lipids, companies have developed non-liposomal reagents. These minimize the amount of lipid, while replacing them with proprietary polymers, which have proven to be more effective and less toxic.