Flexible Mechanoporation Chips for High-Throughput Intracellular Delivery Based on Controlled Pneumatic Microvalve...

Area of Science:

• Biotechnology
• Cell Biology
• Bioengineering

Background:

• Mechanoporation offers carrier-free intracellular delivery but faces challenges like size dependence, cellular heterogeneity, and cell damage.
• Existing methods struggle with consistent and efficient delivery across diverse cell populations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a flexible mechanoporation chip system for high-throughput intracellular delivery.
• To overcome limitations of current mechanoporation techniques, enhancing delivery efficiency and minimizing cell damage.

Main Methods:

• Development of a flexible mechanoporation chip integrating a three-layer pneumatic microvalve array.
• Utilizing simulation and experimental data to assess delivery efficiency and cell viability.
• Testing the system's adaptability to varying cell sizes and mechanical properties.

Main Results:

• The system demonstrated minimized cell damage and enhanced delivery efficiency via volume exchange and molecular convection.
• The adaptive microvalve design successfully accommodated cell population variations, optimizing delivery.
• Effective delivery of drugs, mRNA, and plasmid DNA into mouse embryonic fibroblasts, adipose-derived stem cells, and primary T cells was achieved.

Conclusions:

• The flexible mechanoporation chip platform provides efficient, high-throughput, and low-damage mechanical transfection.
• This technology shows significant promise for applications in biomanufacturing, cell therapy, and regenerative medicine.