Biolistic transfection of neurons in organotypic brain slices.

Transfection of postmitotic neurons is one of the most challenging goals in the field of gene delivery. Currently most procedures use dissociated cell cultures but organotypic slice preparations have significant advantages as an experimental system; they preserve the three-dimensional architecture and local environment of neurons, yet still allow access for experimental manipulations and observations. However exploring the effects of novel genes in these preparations requires a technique that can efficiently transfect cells deep into tissues. Here we show that biolistic transfection is an effective and straightforward technique with which to transfect such cells.