Flow through electroporation modules and instrumentation

A method of introducing exogenous material into live cells comprising:

• providing a flow-through electroporation (FTEP) device for introducing an exogenous material into cells in a fluid, the FTEP device comprising:
• a. an inlet and ant inlet channel for receiving a fluid comprising cells and/or exogenous material into the FTEP device;
• b. an outlet and an outlet channel for removing a fluid comprising transformed cells and exogenous material from the FTEP device;
• c. a flow channel intersecting and positioned between the inlet channel and the outlet channel, wherein the flow channel has, moving from the inlet channel toward the outlet channel, an inlet-filter region, an inlet-proximal region, a central region, an outlet-proximal region, and an outlet-filter region;
• d. a plurality of parallel-configured obstructions defining flow lanes disposed within the central region of the flow channel, wherein the parallel-configured obstructions are selected from elongated oval-, triangular-, rectangular-, and elliptical-shaped obstructions;
• and wherein the number of obstructions in the central region of the flow channel increases from the inlet proximal region to the central region, then decreases from the central region to in the outlet proximal region;
• and
• e. a first and a second electrode positioned in electrode channels, wherein the first electrode is positioned in the inlet proximal region of the flow channel and the second electrode is positioned in the outlet proximal region of the flow channel;
• wherein the electrodes are positioned perpendicularly to the flow channel, are in fluid and electrical communication with fluid in the flow channel, wherein the electrodes apply one or more electric pulses to the cells in the fluid as they pass through the flow channel, thereby introducing exogenous material into the cells in the fluid, and wherein the device is formed by injection molding in one piece with the exception of the electrodes;
• introducing the live cells in fluid into the inlet of the FTEP device;
• introducing the exogenous material into the inlet of the FTEP device;
• and
• applying one or more electric pulses to the live cells in the fluid as the live cells pass through the flow channel, thereby introducing exogenous material into the cells.