Acoustofluidics-Based Intracellular Nanoparticle Delivery.

Area of Science:

• Biotechnology
• Cell Biology
• Nanotechnology

Background:

• Controlled intracellular delivery is crucial for targeted therapies and cell reprogramming.
• Conventional methods like endocytosis, microinjection, and electroporation are often inefficient, labor-intensive, or require specialized equipment.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a novel acoustofluidics-based approach for efficient and controlled intracellular delivery of biomolecular cargo.
• To demonstrate the efficacy of this method across diverse cell types and with various nanomaterials.

Main Methods:

• Utilizing standing acoustic waves in a glass capillary to manipulate cell position and enhance membrane permeability via acoustic radiation forces.
• Coating the capillary with cargo-encapsulated nanoparticles to facilitate controlled cell-nanoparticle contact.
• Applying the acoustofluidics approach to deliver nanoparticles loaded with small molecules or proteins to U937 and HeLa cells.

Main Results:

• Successfully delivered nanoparticles with small molecule and protein cargo into U937 and HeLa cells.
• Demonstrated significantly enhanced delivery efficiency compared to methods without acoustofluidics.
• Achieved controllable intracellular delivery without the need for microbubble contrast agents, distinguishing it from conventional sonoporation.

Conclusions:

• The acoustofluidics-based approach provides an effective, controllable, and equipment-light method for intracellular delivery of nanomaterials.
• This technique holds significant potential for advancing targeted therapeutics, cell reprogramming, and biophysical studies.
• Offers a versatile platform for delivering diverse biomolecular cargoes to various cell types.