Biomolecule electrotransfer to mammalian cells

Abstract

Delivery of biomolecules using pulsed electric fields or electrotransfer has applications such as biomedical engineering, bioprocess engineering and genomic engineering. When a cell is placed in an electric field, the induced transmembrane voltage catalyzes the formation of pores on the cell membrane. This enables the delivery of otherwise cell membrane-impermeable molecules to the cells. Despite the broad significance, a complete biophysical understanding of electrotransfer at a subcellular level and a translation of electroporation as a high-throughput and high-efficiency technique is still lacking. In this dissertation: (i) we unravel how actin networks regulate the cell membrane electropermeability, (ii) we reveal the intracellular biophysical transport mechanisms of electrotransferred DNA cargo, (iii) we present a localized electroporation device where cells are trapped in regions of high electric fields by the flow.