FAQ: Generalities about transfection

In contrast to many other transfection reagents, all our products are compatible with serum therefore complexes can be directly added to cells in serum-containing medium.

None of our products transfection efficiency is affected by the presence of antibiotics. For example, the routine validation protocol for each new batch of jetPRIME® is always performed in serum and antibiotics containing medium.

Many cell culture media are used to grow and maintain mammalian cells and some of them may inhibit cationic polymer/lipid-mediated transfection. For more information about cell medium compatibility with transfection, contact our delivery experts at support@polyplus-transfection.com.

Passage numbers will affect transfection performance. If cells have been in culture for a long time (over 20 passages), transfection efficiency will decrease and we recommend starting a new culture with a fresh tube of cells from liquid nitrogen. On the other hand, cells should be passaged at least twice after thawing before starting transfection experiments.

Cell density will affect transfection performance. The recommended confluence at the time of transfection can vary according to the transfection reagent. Please refer to the reagent protocol for the recommended number of cells to seed to obtain the expected confluence on the day of transfection

The ratio corresponds to the nucleic acid amount, in µg, per microliter of transfection reagent to use For example, a 1:2 ratio means 1µg of nucleic acid per 2 µl of transfection reagent.

There are several parameters that can be changed to improve the transfection efficiency. If you are looking for some optimization, contact our Scientific Support team at support@polyplus-transfection.com.