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ABSTRACT:A stable and soapless latex of 2-diethyl-aminoethyl (DEAE)-dextran-methyl methacrylate (MMA) graft copolymer (DDMC) was developed for nonviral gene delivery vectors (complex between polycation and nucleic acid). DDMC was newly prepared using MMA and DEAE-dextran. Following a transfection protocol, transfection of HEK 293 cells by DDC1, DDC2, and DDC3 samples was carried out using plasmid DNA. With the transfection efficiency determined using the X-Gal staining method, a higher value of 5 times or more was confirmed for DDMC samples DDC1 and DDC2 (but not for DDC3) than for the starting DEAEdextran hydrochloride. The absorption spectrum shift at around 3400 cm Ϫ1 of the complexes between DDMC and DNA may support the formation of more compact structures by a Coulomb force between the phosphoric acid of DNA and the DEAE group of DEAE-dextran, concluding in DNA condensation. The specifically designed molecular structure of DDMC to ensure easy entry of DNA into cells needs not only a positive charge and a hydrophilic-hydrophobic microseparated domain but also more compact structures for transfection steps.