Since launching in 1993, Invitrogen Lipofectamine reagents have become the most referenced transfection reagents with over 50,000 citations. You continue to choose these reagents due to their wide acceptance as the best and most reliable available. Lipofectamine reagents offer you the ability to consistently transfect many cell types with high efficiency and exceptional ease of use.
Our Lipofectamine reagent-specific protocols have been optimized for efficiency, viability, and reproducibility across a broad range of cell types (see "Download protocol" links in the table below). This can be a great place to start especially in a new cell line. If you find this doesn’t work for your specific cell type, then you can you look to our cell-specific protocols for further optimization.
Find products, citations, and protocols optimized for your transfection experiments. Input information on your experiment type, cell line, and payload to unlock solutions.
Find a great transfection reagent for your cell type and payload
We offer transfection reagents for DNA, siRNA, RNA, and protein delivery, providing a range of options to suit your transfection experiment:
- DNA delivery—Transient and stable transfection of DNA plasmids. DNA transfection is used to study gene function and regulation, mutational analysis and biochemical characterization of gene products, effects of gene expression on the health and life cycle of cells, as well as for large scale production of proteins for purification and downstream applications.
- RNA delivery—Transient transfection of mRNA or RNAi molecules. mRNA transfection, which allows the production of recombinant proteins without the need for nuclear entry, is useful for short-term studies of gene expression and has emerged as a promising application for vaccine studies. RNAi molecules facilitate gene knockdown, which can be used in analyses of protein function and phenotype, function recovery, pathway analysis, in vivo knockdown, and drug target discovery.
- Protein delivery—CRISPR-Cas9 transfection allows for genome editing in broad applications such as stem cell engineering, gene therapy, tissue and animal disease models, and engineering disease-resistant transgenic plants.
When selecting a transfection method, consider the payload you wish to deliver (DNA, RNA, or protein) and the type of cells you want to transfect. Use the selection guide below to choose between our various cationic-lipid transfection reagents and our electroporation transfection system.
Continuous cell lines are capable of unlimited proliferative potential, and are generally easier to work with than primary or finite cell cultures. However, because these cells have undergone genetic transformation to become immortalized, their behavior in culture may not necessarily reflect the in vivo situation.
| Reagent | DNA | mRNA | RNAi | Co- delivery | CRISPR-Cas9 | Antibody | Cell type(s) | Adherent or suspension |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lipofectamine 2000 |  |  | Common and easy-to-transfect cell types | Adherent and suspension | ||||
| Lipofectamine 3000 | | | Workhorse (HeLa) through to hard-to-transfect (cancer cells) | Adherent | ||||
| Lipofectamine LTX | |  |  | | CHO cells and some primary fibroblast, epithelial, and neuronal cells (MEF, HMEC, and E18 cells) | Adherent | ||
| Lipofectamine RNAiMAX | | Established cell lines, hard-to-transfect cells, primary cells, stem cells | Adherent | |||||
| Lipofectamine MessengerMAX | | Neuronal cells, primary cells | Adherent | |||||
| Lipofectamine CRISPRMAX |  | Tested in over 20 cell types including iPSC, mESC, N2A, CHO, A549, HCT116, HeLa, HEK293, and several others | Adherent | |||||
| Neon NxT Electroporation System | | | | | |  | Suspension | |
| Invivofectamine 3.0 | | | In vivo delivery to liver following tail vein injection |
Primary cells are isolated directly from the tissue and proliferated under appropriate conditions. As such, they are morphologically and physiologically more similar to an in vivo state. However, they are usually more difficult to culture and transfect than continuous cell lines.
After the first subculture, the primary culture becomes known as a cell line. Cell lines derived from primary cultures have a limited life span (i.e., they are finite), and as they are passaged, cells with the highest growth capacity predominate, resulting in a degree of genotypic and phenotypic uniformity in the population. Therefore, their phenotype is intermediate between primary cells and continuous cultures. The use of such cells is sometimes easier than the use of primary cells, especially for the generation of stably transfected clones.
| Reagent | DNA | mRNA | RNAi | Co-delivery | CRISPR-Cas9 | Antibody | Cell type(s) | Adherent or suspension |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lipofectamine 2000 | | | Neuronal cells | Adherent and suspension | ||||
| Lipofectamine 3000 | | | Workhorse (HeLa) through to hard-to-transfect (cancer cells) | Adherent | ||||
| Lipofectamine Stem | | | | | Stem cells (except HSCs) | Adherent and suspension | ||
| Lipofectamine LTX | | | | | CHO cells and some primary fibroblast, epithelial, and neuronal cells (MEF, HMEC, and E18 cells) | Adherent | ||
| Lipofectamine CRISPRMAX | | Tested in over 20 cells types including iPSC, mESC, N2A, CHO, A549, HCT116, HeLa, HEK293, and several others | Adherent | |||||
| Lipofectamine RNAiMAX | | Established cell lines, hard-to-transfect cells, primary cells, stem cells | Adherent | |||||
| Lipofectamine MessengerMAX | | Neuronal cells, primary cells | Adherent | |||||
| Neon NxT Electroporation System | | | | | | | Over 140 cell lines tested; excels in hard-to-transfect cells, primary cells, and stem cells | Suspension |
Continuous cell lines are capable of unlimited proliferative potential, and are generally easier to work with than primary or finite cell cultures. However, because these cells have undergone genetic transformation to become immortalized, their behavior in culture may not necessarily reflect the in vivo situation.
| Reagent | DNA | mRNA | RNAi | Co- delivery | CRISPR-Cas9 | Antibody | Cell type(s) | Adherent or suspension |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lipofectamine 2000 | | | Common and easy-to-transfect cell types | Adherent and suspension | ||||
| Lipofectamine 3000 | | | Workhorse (HeLa) through to hard-to-transfect (cancer cells) | Adherent | ||||
| Lipofectamine LTX | | | | | CHO cells and some primary fibroblast, epithelial, and neuronal cells (MEF, HMEC, and E18 cells) | Adherent | ||
| Lipofectamine RNAiMAX | | Established cell lines, hard-to-transfect cells, primary cells, stem cells | Adherent | |||||
| Lipofectamine MessengerMAX | | Neuronal cells, primary cells | Adherent | |||||
| Lipofectamine CRISPRMAX | | Tested in over 20 cell types including iPSC, mESC, N2A, CHO, A549, HCT116, HeLa, HEK293, and several others | Adherent | |||||
| Neon NxT Electroporation System | | | | | | | Suspension | |
| Invivofectamine 3.0 | | | In vivo delivery to liver following tail vein injection |
Primary cells are isolated directly from the tissue and proliferated under appropriate conditions. As such, they are morphologically and physiologically more similar to an in vivo state. However, they are usually more difficult to culture and transfect than continuous cell lines.
After the first subculture, the primary culture becomes known as a cell line. Cell lines derived from primary cultures have a limited life span (i.e., they are finite), and as they are passaged, cells with the highest growth capacity predominate, resulting in a degree of genotypic and phenotypic uniformity in the population. Therefore, their phenotype is intermediate between primary cells and continuous cultures. The use of such cells is sometimes easier than the use of primary cells, especially for the generation of stably transfected clones.
| Reagent | DNA | mRNA | RNAi | Co-delivery | CRISPR-Cas9 | Antibody | Cell type(s) | Adherent or suspension |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lipofectamine 2000 | | | Neuronal cells | Adherent and suspension | ||||
| Lipofectamine 3000 | | | Workhorse (HeLa) through to hard-to-transfect (cancer cells) | Adherent | ||||
| Lipofectamine Stem | | | | | Stem cells (except HSCs) | Adherent and suspension | ||
| Lipofectamine LTX | | | | | CHO cells and some primary fibroblast, epithelial, and neuronal cells (MEF, HMEC, and E18 cells) | Adherent | ||
| Lipofectamine CRISPRMAX | | Tested in over 20 cells types including iPSC, mESC, N2A, CHO, A549, HCT116, HeLa, HEK293, and several others | Adherent | |||||
| Lipofectamine RNAiMAX | | Established cell lines, hard-to-transfect cells, primary cells, stem cells | Adherent | |||||
| Lipofectamine MessengerMAX | | Neuronal cells, primary cells | Adherent | |||||
| Neon NxT Electroporation System | | | | | | | Over 140 cell lines tested; excels in hard-to-transfect cells, primary cells, and stem cells | Suspension |
| Symbol | Explanation | Symbol | Explanation |
|---|---|---|---|
| DNA for expression of protein, shRNA, and miRNA | | mRNA for expression of protein |
| Non-coding RNA for RNAi inhibition of gene expression | | Co-delivery for cotransfection of RNAi vectors and siRNAs |
| CRISPR-Cas9 for protein delivery | | Antibody for protein tracing, therapeutics, disease pathogenesis |
Lipid-mediated delivery of DNA
Cationic lipid based-based transfection is the most popular chemical transfection method. Known for their ease of use, the Lipofectamine reagents are categorized below based on their payloads.
Lipofectamine 2000
Invitrogen Lipofectamine 2000 Transfection Reagent is well-suited for common and easy-to-transfect cell types. It is widely used in transfection experiments that require dependability, allowing researchers to focus on more important variables. This broad-spectrum versatility is derived from a simple protocol and well-known ability to work across several applications. Transfection conditions can be easily established for high-throughput applications involving automated or robotic systems. Lipofectamine 2000 is the best choice for establishing stable cell lines and the transfection of neuronal cells. It is effective in co-delivering both plasmid DNA and siRNA. This reagent is recommended for use with neurons over Lipofectamine 3000.
Lipofectamine 3000
Invitrogen Lipofectamine 3000 Transfection Reagent is our highest efficiency reagent for difficult-to-transfect cells. This product offers versatility for DNA, RNA, and co-transfection use. The customizable, and highly efficient two-tube formulation provides you with ultimate flexibility to tailor your transfection to the needs of specific cell types, including primary cells, stem cells, and cancer cell lines.
Lipofectamine LTX Reagent with PLUS Reagent
Invitrogen Lipofectamine LTX Reagent with PLUS reagent combines high efficiency and cell viability with a quick, simple protocol for gentle DNA plasmid delivery. With an easy two-tube optimization, Lipofectamine LTX reagent delivers the right balance between potency and gentleness. The reagent offers exceptional transfection efficiency in CHO, primary fibroblast, and epithelial cells (MEF and HMEC cells).
Lipid-mediated delivery of mRNA
Lipofectamine MessengerMAX
Invitrogen Lipofectamine MessengerMAX Transfection Reagent is designed to transfect neurons and a broad spectrum of difficult-to-transfect primary cells with a larger amount of mRNA. This results in a more than two-fold improvement in transfection efficiency compared to other lipid-based reagents. Transfection of mRNA with Lipofectamine MessengerMAX reagent results in faster protein expression because translation of mRNA occurs in the cytoplasm. Additionally, delivery of mRNA does not require nuclear entry, which eliminates the risk of genomic integration and enables high transfection efficiency in slowly dividing cells. Expect up to 10x higher cleavage using mRNA CRISPRs.
Lipid-mediated delivery of siRNA
Lipofectamine RNAiMAX
Invitrogen Lipofectamine RNAiMAX Transfection Reagent offers the highest transfection efficiencies on the widest variety of cell types for siRNA-mediated gene knockdown experiments, including high-throughput applications. A proprietary RNAi-specific cationic lipid formulation is designed for robust delivery of siRNA and miRNA into all cell types, especially when combined with Invitrogen Silencer Select siRNA. The simple, rapid protocol accommodates lower siRNA concentrations, thus enabling more effective gene knockdown with minimal nonspecific effects. Lipofectamine RNAiMAX is ideal for high-throughput siRNA transfections. Expect easy optimization due to minimal cytotoxicity across a 10-fold concentration range.
Invivofectamine 3.0 Reagent for in vivo delivery
Invitrogen Invivofectamine 3.0 Reagent is a breakthrough, animal origin-free reagent for in vivo siRNA delivery. Improved performance and up to 85% knockdown can be achieved using microgram levels of siRNA. Creating complexes of Invivofectamine 3.0 Reagent and siRNA duplexes for delivery is easy; simply mix, incubate, and dilute. Expect low toxicity and highly effective knockdown.
Lipid-mediated delivery of ribonucleoprotein for CRISPR-Cas9
Lipofectamine CRISPRMAX
Invitrogen Lipofectamine CRISPRMAX Cas9 Transfection Reagent is the first optimized lipid nanoparticle transfection reagent for delivery of ribonucleoprotein (RNP) complexes for CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing. It is a high throughput–compatible, cost-effective alternative to electroporation. Working together with Invitrogen TrueCut Cas9 Protein v2 and Invitrogen TrueGuide Synthetic gRNA, it provides demonstrated cleavage efficiency, low cell toxicity, and cost savings. Unlike CRISPR plasmids or Cas9 mRNA, using Cas9 protein provides superior cleavage efficiency in primary cells and stem cells. It eliminates the need for transcription or translation of the payload, removes the risk of genomic integration, and is cell cycle independent.
Shop Lipofectamine CRISPRMAX
Learn more about CRISPR transfection
Lipid-mediated delivery in stem cells
Lipofectamine Stem
Invitrogen Lipofectamine Stem Transfection Reagent is designed to efficiently deliver DNA, RNA, or Cas9 protein complexes into stem cells which are typically hard to transfect via reagent-based transfection methods. Lipofectamine Stem reagent is up to 3x more efficient than existing transfection reagents in iPSCs, NSCs, and MSCs. The reagent is suitable for transfection into adherent or suspension cells and is gently enough to support cell proliferation without inducing differentiation.
293fectin Transfection Reagent
- Used for transient protein production in combination with the Invitrogen FreeStyle 293 Expression System. Optimized for suspension Invitrogen FreeStyle 293-F cells
Cellfectin II Transfection Reagent
- Optimal transfection of insect cells, including S2, Sf9, Sf21, and Invitrogen High Five cells
DMRIE-C Transfection Reagent
- Transfection of suspension cells, including CHO, lymphoid, and Jurkat cell lines
ExpiFectamine 293 Transfection Kit
- Designed for transfection of high-density suspension cell culture, with matching transfection enhancers that boost transfection performance and protein expression
- Achieves protein yields 2- to 10-fold higher than other transfection reagents used on high density 293 cell cultures
- Provides robust and reproducible transfection results
- Scale transfections for culture volumes of less than 1 mL to greater than 10 L, while maintaining equivalent volumetric protein yields
ExpiFectamine CHO Transfection Kit
- Designed for transfection of high-density suspension CHO cells, with matching transfection enhancer and culture feed to boost transfection performance and protein expression
- Achieves protein yields up to 3 grams/liter in high density Gibco ExpiCHO cell cultures
- Provides robust and reproducible transfection results
- Scale transfections for culture volumes of less than 1 mL to greater than 10 L, while maintaining equivalent volumetric protein yields
FreeStyle MAX Transfection Reagent
- Optimized for transient transfection in CHO suspension cells and also works for HEK-293 cells
- Used for large-scale transient protein production with milligrams of protein yield
Lipofectamine 2000 CD Transfection Reagent
- Same performance as Invitrogen Lipofectamine 2000, certified animal-origin free (“CD” = chemically defined)
Lipofectamine Transfection Reagent
- First generation reagent for plasmid DNA transfections
- In most cases, Lipofectamine 2000 provides better performance than Invitrogen Lipofectamine Transfection Reagent
Oligofectamine Transfection Reagent
- Transfection of antisense oligonucleotides
Optifect Transfection Reagent
- Broad use reagent designed for low confluency applications (<70% confluent at the time of transfection)
- Useful for cell lines that are sensitive to transfection reagents
Increase transfection efficiency with workflow lab essentials
Find essential products to help you at every step of the way from cell preparation for transfection to selection and analysis of transfected cells.
Meet the Lipofectamine transfection products inventor
R&D transfection insights
Xavier de Mollerat du Jeu, Sr. Staff Scientist, discusses the transfection research program and key factors for successful transfections, which resulted in enhanced protocols for the Lipofectamine line of transfection reagents.
Selection antibiotics
In addition to our large selection of transfection reagents, explore Gibco selection antibiotics, which provide unique solutions for your transfection experiments, including dual selection and rapid cell line establishment.
Sustainable packaging
Packaging must protect the product inside—but that doesn’t have to mean sacrificing sustainability. Lipofectamine products are shipped at ambient temperature, diverting 24,000 ft3 of Expanded Polystyrene (EPS) coolers from landfills annually. We reduce the carbon footprint from packaging and shipping these products by 80 tons (CO2 equivalents).
Learn more about sustainable solutions
Download the green fact sheet
Our Lipofectamine reagent-specific protocols have been optimized for efficiency, viability, and reproducibility across a broad range of cell types. Search this library to find protocols and citations curated to fit your experimental needs. Filter by cell type, payload, and product of choice to easily unlock your answers.
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Transfection FAQs
Search our extensive collection of Transfection FAQs to find the answers you need. Input key terms for your transfection questions to discover a collection of carefully curated and regularly updated answers.
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