PEI STAR™ transfection reagent
Tocris Bioscience | Catalog # 7854
Key Product Details
Description
Product Description
PEI STAR™ is a chemically-defined, high-performance polyethylenimine (PEI) transfection reagent for cost-effective, affordable and scalable transient gene expression. PEI is a synthetic polymer with an exceptionally high positive charge density in pH-neutral solutions. Positively charged PEI binds strongly to negatively charged DNA and imparts a net cationic charge, allowing the DNA to enter cells. PEI is a non-viral vector commonly used to transfect HEK293 and CHO cells. Applications include production of recombinant proteins, antibodies and viruses.
Pre-dissolved, ready-to-use formulation of PEI STAR™ also available: PEI STAR-Go™ transfection reagent (Cat. No. 8174).
For more information on how to use PEI STAR™ transfection reagent, see our protocols: PEI STAR™ Transfection Reagent Preparation, Gene Expression in Adherent HEK293 Cells, Gene Expression in CHO Suspensions, rAAV Production in Adherent HEK293 Cells, Gene Expression in HEK293 Suspensions, Lentivirus Production with PEI STAR™, rAAV Production in Suspension HEK293 Cells.
PEI STAR is a trademark of Bio-Techne Corp.
Scientific Data Images for PEI STAR™ transfection reagent
Application of PEI STAR™ transfection reagent.
PEI STAR™ performance data comparison (HEK293): HEK 293 - 20 mL cultures containing HEK293 suspensions were transfected with a CMV-SEAP plasmid at optimized PEI/DNA ratios using either PEI STAR™ (3:1) or leading competitor PEI. SEAP expression levels were quantified 5 days post-transfection using phosphatase reporter dye and UV/Vis absorbance.
Application of PEI STAR™ transfection reagent.
PEI STAR™ performance data comparison (CHO): CHO - 20 mL cultures containing CHO suspensions were transfected with a CMV-SEAP plasmid at optimized PEI/DNA ratios using either PEI STAR™ (5:1) or leading competitor PEI. SEAP expression levels were quantified 5 days post-transfection using phosphatase reporter dye and UV/Vis absorbance.
Transfection of a reporter GFP construct using a leading competitor PEI and PEI STAR™.
HEK293 cells grown in DMEM/10% FBS to 75% confluency in a 24 well plate. 1 μg of DNA + 25 μL optimem and 2 μg of PEI (1 mg/mL) + 25 μL optimem were incubated for 8 minutes before addition to cells. PEI STAR™ showed significantly higher expression of GFP in imaged cells.Protocols
Please see the links below for protocols relating to the use of PEI STAR™
| Protocol Name | Cell Type |
|---|---|
| PEI STAR™ Transfection Reagent preparation | |
| Gene Expression in Adherent HEK293 cells | Adherent |
| rAAV Production in Adherent HEK293 Cells | Adherent |
| Lentivirus Production in Adherent HEK293T Cells | Adherent |
| Gene Expression in HEK293 Cell Suspensions | Suspension |
| rAAV Production in Suspension HEK293 Cells | Suspension |
| Gene Expression in CHO Suspensions | Suspension |
Product Specifications for PEI STAR™ transfection reagent
Storage
Chemical Name
CAS Number
The technical data provided above is for guidance only. For batch specific data refer to the Certificate of Analysis.
Calculators
Background References
References are publications that support the biological activity of the product. See our Citations tab to view 16 publications citing the usage of this product.
- Han Aberrant role of pyruvate kinase M2 in the regulation of gamma-secretase and memory deficits in Alzheimer's disease. Cell Rep. 2021 PMID: 34879266
- Trivedi Comparison of highly pure rAAV9 vector stocks produced in suspension by PEI transfection or HSV infection reveals striking quantitative and qualitative differences. Mol.Ther.Methods Clin.Dev. 2021 PMID: 35071688
- Longo Transient mammalian cell transfection with polyethylenimine (PEI). Methods Enzymol. 2013 PMID: 24011049
- Huang AAV2 production with optimized N/P ratio and PEI-mediated transfection results in low toxicity and high titer for in vitro and in vivo applications. J.Virol.Methods 2013 PMID: 23791963
- Boussif A versatile vector for gene and oligonucleotide transfer into cells in culture and in vivo: polyethylenimine. Proc.Natl.Acad.Sci.U.S.A 1995 PMID: 7638184
Product Documents for PEI STAR™ transfection reagent
Product Specific Notices for PEI STAR™ transfection reagent
For research use only
Citations for PEI STAR™ transfection reagent
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Customer Reviews for PEI STAR™ transfection reagent (4)
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Species: HumanAssay Type: In VitroCell Line/Tissue: HEK293Verified Customer | Posted 09/06/2025I used PEI as the transfection reagent to achieve overexpression of target proteins in HEK293 cells. The reagent worked really well and resulted in a very high transfection efficiency (~80%).
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Species: HumanAssay Type: In VitroVerified Customer | Posted 04/11/2025When preparing the PEI-Star solution at a concentration of 1 mg/ml, it’s crucial to note that significant pH changes can occur, particularly beyond pH 6. To manage this, we recommend using a very low molarity of NaOH (less than the standard 0.1N) or a reduced volume for pH adjustments. If the pH overshoots, there's no need to worry—a 0.1M HCl solution can effectively bring the pH back to 7.0 ± 0.1. We've observed that our transfections remain effective with this approach to pH adjustments. For transfection of HEK293T cells, we found that both 1:3 and 1:4 DNA:PEI-Star ratios yielded exceptionally high transfection efficiency. The PEI-Star concentration used was 1 mg/ml.We used PEI-Star primarily for transfecting HEK293T cells to achieve protein overexpression and to produce third-generation Lentivirus. It has proven to be highly effective, allowing us to perform transfections at a significantly reduced cost without compromising the quality of the transfection process.
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Species: HumanAssay Type: In VitroCell Line/Tissue: HEK293TVerified Customer | Posted 04/04/2025We evaluated the efficiency of GFP transfection using PEI star and found that it performs comparably to standard Lipofectamine-based reagents in HEK293t cells. When optimized, PEI-mediated transfection resulted in high GFP expression levels with minimal cytotoxicity, making it a cost-effective alternative for routine transfections.
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Species: HumanCell Line/Tissue: Expi293FVerified Customer | Posted 03/01/2024Expifectamine is nice for overall protein expression, but not to a degree where it compensates enough in total protein yield to be worth the high cost per liter of cell culture. Since DOTAP is the base lipid for the Expifectamine formulation, we wanted to know whether DOTAP alone and/or supplemented with Expifectamine would be a good compromise for price vs efficiency. However, we noticed that DOTAP has solubility issues and, in the end, it does not look great in our hands. Likewise, a rescue experiment with small supplementations of Expifectamine does improve efficiency to some degree, but not sufficiently to make it worth it – cost-wise – for large culture volume transfections. Lastly, we also compared two formulations of PEI: MAX vs STAR. PEI STAR appears to increase expression ~1.5-fold compared to PEI MAX. This seems to be because PEI MAX might be slightly more toxic than PEI STAR based on viability over time (otherwise, both PEI MAX and PEI STAR trend similarly). Ultimately, between all of these conditions, PEI STAR is the most effective transfection reagent we've found that meets efficiency and cost needs for routine R&D in protein expression workflows.Our lab routinely works with various different protein targets, all ranging in levels of attainable overexpression. We tested various transfection reagents according to manufacture recommended protocols in hopes of recapitulating the closest efficiency to Expifectamine, but at a more affordable cost per liter of cell culture. Our data has made us big fans of PEI STAR! It clearly improves over PEI MAX, and it is the most cost-efficient alternative we’ve found so far compared to Expifectamine (which is far too expensive to be sustainable for us).
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