title: Flow-through cell electroporation microchip integrating dielectrophoretic viable cell sorting.
abstract: Microfluidics based continuous cell electroporation is an appealing approach for high-throughput cell transfection, but cell viability of existing methods is usually compromised by adverse electrical or hydrodynamic effects. Here we present the validation of a flow-through cell electroporation microchip, in which dielectrophoretic force was employed to sort viable cells. By integrating parallel electroporation electrodes and dielectrophoresis sorting electrodes together in a simple straight microfluidic channel, sufficient electrical pulses were applied for efficient electroporation, and a proper sinusoidal electrical field was subsequently utilized to exclude damaged cells by dielectrophoresis. Thus, the difficulties for seeking the fine balance between electrotransfection efficiency and cell viability were steered clear. After careful investigation and optimization of the DEP behaviors of electroporated cells, efficient electrotransfection of plasmid DNA was demonstrated in vulnerable neuron cells and several hard-to-transfect primary cell types with excellent cell viability. This microchip constitutes a novel way of continuous cell transfection to significantly improve the cell viability of existing methodologies.
authors.affiliation: National Center for Nanoscience and Technology , Beijing 100190, China.
authors.forename: Zewen
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Wei
authors.forename: Xueming
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Deyao
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.forename: Hao
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yan
authors.forename: Zhiyuan
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Hu
authors.forename: Zicai
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Liang
authors.forename: Zhihong
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Li
mesh_terms: D002470:Cell Survival; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D018274:Electroporation; D005434:Flow Cytometry / Q000295:instrumentation*; D057809:HEK293 Cells; D006801:Humans; D046228:Microarray Analysis