Back to results
US 8,008,063 B2Granted
Individual-cell electroporation using area-focused electric fields
AssigneeBio-Rad Laboratories, Inc.
InventorCharles W. Ragsdale
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Electroporation is performed on a population of cells, liposomes, vesicles, or other membrane-encased structures with uniform results regardless of size variations within the population, by drawing the membrane-encased structures into micron-sized openings that contain paired electrodes. An electric potential is then imposed between the paired electrodes to permeabilize only that portion of each cell that extends into the openings and resides within the electric field focused in the area between the electrodes.
Claims8
Apparatus for transfection of cells, said apparatus comprising:
- a vessel bordered by an internal vessel wall perforated with a plurality of through-passages, each through-passage having an axis transverse to said vessel wall, each through-passage further having internal walls in which are embedded a pair of electrodes on opposite sides of said axis, each pair of electrodes defining a gap of dimensions that are uniform among all of said through-passages, and each through-passage having an internal shoulder with said electrodes positioned adjacent to said shoulder;
- means for imposing a pressure differential through said through-passages sufficient to draw biological cells from a biological cell suspension retained in said vessel against said through-passages and to cause said biological cells to protrude into said through-passages and into said gaps;
- and
- means for imposing an electric potential between each pair of electrodes.
1 more element
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.