Britannica AI Icon

Quick Summary

Transient transfection is a biological technique used to introduce foreign nucleic acid, such as DNA or RNA, into a cell. This process temporarily alters the cell's properties without the foreign genetic material integrating into the cell's own genome. The effects of transient transfection are short-lived, lasting only a limited time. Various methods, including physical techniques like electroporation and chemical methods using lipids or polymers, can be employed to achieve transfection. This technique is valuable in research fields like genetics and cancer research, and for developing new drug delivery strategies.1

Summary created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
2 Britannica Sources
  1. transfection
  2. transduction

Ask Britannica AI about this topic

Britannica doesn't have a full article on this topic, so we've curated a list of our relevant coverage.