Electroporation and electrofusion in field-tailored microstructures

Bringing foreign substances into cells is a basic process in cell engineering. So called reversible breakdown of the cell membrane by electrical pulses opens up transient pores on the membrane through which molecules can diffuse into, or contacting cells can fuse. Using micro-fabricated structures with the dimension smaller than that of cells, the field pattern can be designed and tailored, that enables the handling of single cells, as well as the control over the location and the magnitude of the membrane voltage to achieve low invasive high-yield poration or fusion. This paper reviews some of our research, including gene transfection, electrofusion and cytoplasmic transplant.