Methods of producing optimized gene-activated materials

A gene-activated material comprising (i) a solid scaffold comprising a first portion of a predetermined dose of at least one nucleic acid;

• and (ii) a surface of the solid scaffold comprising a second portion of the predetermined dose of the at least one nucleic acid physically bound to said surface;
• wherein the first and second portion together comprise the predetermined dose;
• wherein the solid scaffold incorporating the at least one nucleic acid is produced by admixing in solution the at least one nucleic acid with scaffolding materials to produce a primary complex containing nucleic acids that are chemically-bound to the scaffolding materials and that are not removed by washing in a 0.9% solution of NaCl, and then, without washing, lyophilizing the admixture, thereby producing a gene-activated material containing a first-chemically bound fraction of the nucleic acid that is incorporated into the scaffold, which is not removed by washing in a 0.9% solution of NaCl, and a second unbound fraction of the nucleic acid that can be removed from the solid scaffold by washing in a 0.9% solution of NaCl;
• wherein the gene-activated material is produced by admixing the predetermined dose of the at least one nucleic acid with scaffolding materials in the presence of beta tri-calcium phosphate to produce a primary complex containing the first portion of the dose of the at least one nucleic acid;
• and lyophilizing or drying the solution used to prepare the scaffold, thereby producing said gene-activated material;
• wherein the scaffolding materials comprise beta tri-calcium phosphate and a complexing agent;
• and
• wherein the at least one nucleic acid is DNA.