High Throughput and Highly Controllable Methods for In Vitro Intracellular Delivery

Area of Science:

• Biotechnology
• Cell Biology
• Bioengineering

Background:

• Intracellular delivery is crucial for tissue engineering and drug development.
• Recent progress has yielded systems with high efficiency and reduced adverse outcomes compared to viral transfection and bulk electroporation.
• This review focuses on in vitro and ex vivo intracellular delivery methods.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review various in vitro and ex vivo intracellular delivery methods.
• To analyze methods like microfluidics, engineered substrates, and probe-based systems based on throughput and control.
• To highlight porous substrate-based electroporation as a promising technique.

Main Methods:

• Examination of flow-through microfluidics, engineered substrates, and automated probe-based systems.
• In-depth analysis of electroporation using micro/nanochannel based porous substrates.
• Discussion of parameters for porous substrate electroporation: system design, cell/cargo types, efficiency, viability, and electric field effects.

Main Results:

• Porous substrate electroporation effectively delivers molecules by permeabilizing small cell membrane patches.
• This method offers a balance of high throughput and precise control over intracellular delivery.
• Key parameters influencing transfection efficiency and cell viability were identified.

Conclusions:

• Porous substrate-based electroporation presents significant potential for advancing intracellular delivery.
• High throughput, high control methods are essential for future innovations in biotechnology and medicine.
• Further development of these platforms can revolutionize drug development and tissue engineering.