Method and apparatus for avalanche-mediated transfer of agents into cells
AssigneeThe Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University
InventorsAlexander Vankov, Thomas W. Chalberg, Philip Huie, Jr., Daniel V. Palanker
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Abstract
The present invention provides a method and apparatus for transferring an agent into a cell. The method includes the steps of providing an agent outside of a cell and generating a vapor bubble and a plasma discharge between an avalanche electrode and a conductive fluid surrounding the cell. The vapor bubble and plasma discharge generate a mechanical stress wave and an electric field, respectively. The combination of this mechanical stress wave and electric field results in permeabilization of the cell, which in turn results in transfer of the agent into the cell.
Claims17
A method of directly transferring a polypeptide or an RNA molecule into a cell, comprising:
- (a) providing a polypeptide or an RNA molecule outside a cell;
- and
- (b) generating an electric field and a mechanical stress wave by applying a voltage to an electrode to form a plasma discharge, the electrode providing both the electric field and the mechanical stress wave to the cell, thereby directly transferring the polypeptide or the RNA molecule into the cell.
A method of transferring a polypeptide or an RNA molecule into a cell, comprising:
- (a) providing a polypeptide or an RNA molecule outside a cell;
- and
- (b) generating an electric field and a mechanical stress wave by applying a voltage in a range of about 100 V to about 10 kV to an electrode to form a plasma discharge, the electrode providing both the electric field and the mechanical stress wave to the cell, thereby transferring the polypeptide or the RNA molecule into the cell.
A method of transferring a polypeptide or an RNA molecule into a cell, comprising:
- (a) providing the polypeptide or the RNA molecule outside of the cell;
- and
- (b) transferring the polypeptide or the RNA molecule into the cell by applying voltage to an electrode to form a transient plasma discharge near the cell, wherein the electrode is positioned at a distance of about 0.01 mm to about 1 cm from the cell, the electrode providing both an electric field and a mechanical stress wave to the cell.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.