Mirus Bio recommends using a transfection reagent that has known compatibility with transfection of short nucleic acids (< 200 bases or bp). The following TransIT® reagents have been specifically designed or optimized for oligo delivery:
TransIT® reagents have been tested on single-stranded as well as double-stranded oligos including, but not limited to: siRNA, miRNA, shRNA, CRISPR gRNA, ODN, Morpholino, ASO, 2' O-Methyl oligos, and phosphorothioate oligos.
Depending on the cell type being transfected, one reagent may have superior performance over the others. Please consult the Reagent Agent® transfection database for recommendations specific to your cell type of study. If your cell type of interest is not represented in our database, we suggest testing these reagents in parallel to determine the best one for your application. Request samples here.
These TransIT® reagents can also be used for co-transfection of plasmid DNA with oligos. The protocol for co-transfection is similar to that for plasmid delivery alone. Importantly, ensure plasmids and oligos are well mixed before addition of the TransIT® reagent. Another viable strategy is to deliver two separate transfection complexes: 1) an oligo complex formed with one of the optimal reagents listed above and 2) a plasmid DNA complex formed with a different TransIT® reagent. Which approach to take will depend on the conditions (e.g. cell type being transfected) and goals of your experiment.
We hope this FAQ has been answered to your satisfaction! If you have any additional questions, please email Mirus Bio Tech Support: techsupport@mirusbio.com