Electroporation microchips for<i>in vitro</i>gene transfection

Abstract

A detailed study of a novel electroporation (EP) microchip for in vitro gene transfection has been conducted. Electroporation is a technique with which DNA molecules can be delivered into cells in a chamber using high electric field pulses. Compared to a commercial electroporator, the EP microchip can attain the necessary electric field for the electroporation process but takes advantage of a much lower required voltage. The EP microchip overcomes the potential risk of using a high voltage, which is the drawback of current electroporation technology. Furthermore, the advantages of this EP microchip are the use of a very small amount of cells and genes, a very low applied voltage, a simple power supply and a much simpler cell preparation process. Any of these advantages are better than, or cannot be found in, a commercial electroporator.