Electroporation microchips for gene transfection

Electroporation (EP) microchips can increase gene transfection rate and cells survival rate. Electroporation is a kind of method in which DNA molecules can be delivered into cells by short electric pulses. Unlike the conventional electroporation device, the EP chips in this paper are loaded with a lower concentration of plasmids, and most cells will not be damaged or lysed by high electric field. Four different kinds of EP microchips were designed and fabricated by micro electro-mechanical system (MEMS) technology. The first EP microchip was developed for delivering plasmids into suspension cells. The cells and LacZ plasmids flowed in a microchannel and then electroporated by short electric pulses. Based on the cell morphology, the second microchip was focused on gene transfection to adherent cells. The third microchip was developed for reducing applied voltages and increasing the electric fields by interdigitated electrodes. The fourth one was designed for introducing the electrophoresis attracting force which increased the plasmid DNA concentration on the cell surfaces and further increased the transfection rate. The EP microchips could transfect plasmids into different cells, including primary cells and cell line.