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Updated: Aug 26, 2025

Cell Squeezing as a Robust, Microfluidic Intracellular Delivery Platform
Published on: November 7, 2013
Recent advances in the intracellular delivery of macromolecule therapeutics
Si-Yi Chen1, Xiao-Xue Xu1, Xin Li1
1School of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering & Life Science, Wuhan University of Technology, No. 122 Luoshi Road, Wuhan, 430070, PR China. chengdb@whut.edu.cn.
Abstract:
Intracellular delivery of macromolecules is a critical procedure for biological research and drug discovery, including proteins, peptides, vaccines, antibodies and genes. The penetration of macromolecule therapeutics through the cell membrane to intracellular targets is a prerequisite for their biological activity, but most delivery systems rely on the endocytic pathway to enter the cell and confront an inability to escape from the lysosome. A profound understanding of the cellular internalization of transporting carriers can (i) optimize the design of drug delivery systems, (ii) maintain the biological activity of biomolecular drugs, (iii) improve the efficiency of intracellular macromolecule transport and release, (iv) bring new opportunities for the discovery of macromolecule therapeutics and treatment of refractory disease. This article summarizes the uptake pathway of intracellular delivery vehicles for macromolecule drugs, hoping to provide ideas and references for macromolecule therapeutics delivery systems.
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