A method of targeting bacterially-derived, intact minicells to specific, non-phagocytic mammalian cells employs bispecific ligands to deliver nucleic acidsefficiently to the mammalian cells. Bispecific ligands, comprising (i) a firstarm that carries specificity for a bacterially-derived minicell surfacestructure and (ii) a second arm that carries specificity for a non-phagocyticmammalian cell surface receptor are useful for targeting minicells tospecific, non-phagocytic mammalian cells and causing endocytosis of minicellsby non-phagocytic cells.