Micromachining of Polymeric Microfluidic Micro/Nanoelectroporation Device

Area of Science:

• Biotechnology
• Nanotechnology
• Cell Biology

Background:

• Micro/nanochannel electroporation offers precise single-cell gene/drug delivery with high viability.
• Traditional methods face challenges in efficiency and operational complexity.
• Integrating microfluidics addresses these limitations for large-scale cell processing.

Purpose of the Study:

• To provide a detailed protocol for fabricating microfluidic nanochannel electroporation devices.
• To enable efficient gene/drug delivery to a batch of cells.
• To combine the benefits of single-cell nanochannel electroporation and microfluidic cell manipulation.

Main Methods:

• Device fabrication integrates soft lithography, DNA combing and imprinting, and micromilling.
• The protocol covers device fabrication, holder construction, cell trapping, and electroporation procedures.
• Microfluidic integration with nanochannel electroporation is key.

Main Results:

• The developed device facilitates gene/drug delivery to a large number of cells efficiently.
• The integrated approach overcomes the low efficiency and complex operation issues of single-cell methods.
• Achieved high cell viability and precise dosage control in batch processing.

Conclusions:

• Microfluidic nanochannel electroporation devices offer a powerful platform for efficient and viable gene/drug delivery to cell batches.
• The detailed protocol enables the fabrication and application of these advanced devices.
• This technology merges single-cell precision with microfluidic throughput.