Process for inducing membrane fusion under an electric field
AssigneeAmerican National Red Cross
InventorArthur E. Sowers
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A device and process for inducing membrane fusion under an electric field. The process comprises the steps of (a) suspending said membranes in an aqueous buffered medium in a manner so that the membranes are without contact with each other; (b) altering said membranes to a fusogenic state by applying 2-30 pulses of direct current at a rate of 2 to 5 pulses per second in an electrical field strength of about 500-1000 volts/mm in the medium, said pulses having a rapid rise time not exceeding about 10 micro seconds and an exponential decay half time of about 0.2 milliseconds to about 1.2 milliseconds; and (c) thereafter bringing said fusogenic membranes in contact with each other. A long-lived metastable fusogenic state of membranes can be obtained by the device and process.
Claims8
A process for inducing fusion of cell membranes comprising the sequential steps of (a) suspending cell membranes in an aqueous buffered medium so that the membranes are without contact with each other;
- (b) altering said membranes to a fusogenic state by applying 2-30 pulses of direct current at a rate of 2 to 5 pulses per second in an electrical field strength of about 500-1000 volts/mm in the medium, said pulses having a rise time not exceeding about 10 microseconds and an exponential decay half time of about 0.2 milliseconds to about 1.2 milliseconds;
- and (c) thereafter bringing said fusogenic membranes in contact with each other.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.