Hydrodynamic injection as a method of gene delivery in mice: A model of chronic hepatitis B virus infection

Abstract

Gene delivery methods are important for both therapeutic intervention and as tools in research to address specific questions. Hydrodynamic injection (HDI) is a method that facilitates the delivery and expression of genetic material in target cells, namely hepatocytes, through an intravenous injection. HDI has great utility for research involving cell death and signaling pathways essential in the processes of cancer, inflammation, and transplant therapy, as well as representing a valuable technique to establish hepatitis B virus (HBV) expression in hepatocytes. This chapter describes in detail how to generate a model of chronic HBV infection in immunocompetent mice using HDI as a delivery method.