Quantitation of plasmid DNA deposited on gold particles for particle-mediated epidermal delivery using ICP-MS

DNA-plasmid-based vaccines are a promising class of next generation therapeutics. Particle-mediated epidermal delivery is an attractive method for the administration of DNA plasmid vaccines. This technology utilizes minute quantities of DNA plasmid which have been deposited onto the surface of 2–3-μm gold particles, and so the development of this technology requires the use of analytical methods that can accurately quantitate the amount of the DNA on the particle. Spectroscopic methods are generally insufficient for this task due to interference from the gold particle. ICP-MS circumvents this issue while allowing for the sensitive, reproducible, and accurate determination of the quantity of DNA on the particle surface. This report will detail the development and application of such a method.