Gene gun transfection of animal cells and genetic immunization.

Gene gun technology at this point has the most utility in animal protein expression as a back-up technology. In other words, when other conventional systems fail, it will generally work. Most notable is its usefulness for hard-to-transfect cells or in some particular in situ applications. Improvements in the gun itself and in the microprojectiles present the potential for this technology to expand in utility. The one area in which it now appears to be the method of choice is genetic immunization.