Microarray Chip and Method for Simultaneous and Highly Consistent Electroporation of Multiple Cells of Different...

Area of Science:

• Biotechnology
• Cell Biology
• Microfluidics

Background:

• Cell electroporation facilitates the transfer of extracellular components into cells, crucial for various biological applications.
• Inconsistent substance transport during electroporation arises from natural variations in cell size.
• Existing methods struggle to achieve uniform results across diverse cell populations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and evaluate a novel microfluidic chip for enhanced cell electroporation.
• To investigate the impact of cell size on electroporation efficiency within a microfluidic device.
• To improve the consistency and efficiency of substance transfer during cell electroporation.

Main Methods:

• Design and optimization of a microfluidic chip featuring a microtrap array for single-cell capture and electric field focusing.
• Investigation of cell electroporation using giant unilamellar vesicles as a simplified cell model.
• Comparative analysis using simulation and experimental methods against a uniform electric field model.

Main Results:

• The microfluidic chip requires a lower threshold electric field and achieves higher transmembrane voltage compared to uniform fields.
• Improved cell viability and electroporation efficiency were observed in the microchip.
• The microchip demonstrated higher substance transfer efficiency and reduced impact of cell size on electroporation outcomes.
• A unique inverse relationship between relative perforation area and cell diameter was noted in the microchip, unlike uniform fields.

Conclusions:

• The proposed microfluidic chip significantly enhances cell electroporation efficiency and substance transfer consistency.
• The microtrap array design effectively mitigates the challenges posed by cell size variability.
• Individual electric field manipulation within microtraps enables consistent substance transfer across different cell sizes.