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Objectives  Achieving targeted delivery of gene medicines is desirable to maximise activity. Here, galactosylated amphiphilic cyclodextrins (CDs) are examined in terms of their ability to transfect asialoglycoprotein receptor‐bearing HepG2 cells. Methods  Cationic amphiphilic CDs were synthesised as well as amphiphilic CDs bearing galactose‐targeting ligands with different linker lengths. Binding of galactosylated CDs to a galactose‐specific lectin was examined by surface plasmon resonance. CDs were formulated with and without the helper lipid DOPE and complexed with plasmid DNA. Transfection was evaluated by luciferase assay. Intracellular trafficking was assessed by confocal microscopy. Key findings  Binding of targeted CDs to a galactose‐specific lectin was achieved. Binding decreased with linker length between the galactosyl group and the CD core. Contrary to the lectin binding results, transfection levels increased with an increase in linker length from 7 atoms to 15. Compared to non‐targeted formulations, a significant increase in transfection was observed only in the presence of the helper lipid DOPE. Confocal microscopy revealed that DOPE caused a pronounced effect on cellular distribution. Conclusions  The galactose‐targeting ligand induced substantial increases in transfection over non‐targeted formulations when DOPE was included, indicating the potential for targeted gene delivery using CD‐based delivery systems.

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