| ABSTRACT |
Nanocrystalline hydroxyapatite, nHAp (a calcium phosphate based material) has performed particularly well as a non-viral gene vector. nHAP is biocompatible, biodegradable and non-toxicity to cells. It also provides nucleic acid protection from nucleases within the cells. When precipitated in aqueous solutions, the nHAp crystals tend to agglomerate (due to van der Waals and repulsive forces). Therefore, accelerated removal of the solvent using supercritical carbon dioxide (scCO2) would result in rapid supersaturation of the solution, causing immediate precipitation of the product in powder form, with little time for growth and agglomeration to occur.
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